Apparatus and process for continuously making baked and graphitized carbon bodies

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR APPLYING ELECTROTHERNAL ENERGY TO A GREEN ELECTRICITY CONDUCTIVE COMPOSITION WHICH BECOMES RIGID UPON BEING HEATED, WHICH COMPRISES: (A) SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY AND MECHANICALLY FORCING SAID GREEN COMPOSITION INTO SAID THROUGH A HEATING ZONE WHEREIN SAID GREEN COMPOSITION IS RESISTIVELY HEATED AND RENDERED SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID AND SELFSUPPORTING BY THE PASSAGE OF CURRENT THERETHROUGH, SAID CURRENT BEING MADE TO FLOW BY APPLYING A VOLTAGE ACROSS THE MOVING COMPOSITION BY MEANS OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH A GREEN PORTION OF SAID MOVING COMPOSITION; (B) MAINTAINING SAID MOVING COMPOSITION UNDER A SUBSTANTIAL PRESSURE DURING ITS TRANSITION FROM THE GREEN TO RIGID STATE, SAID PRESSURE BEING MAINTAINED BY A RESTRAINING FORCE EXCITED UPON THE RIGID MASS, WHICH RESTRAINING FORCE TENDS TO OPPOSE THE AXIAL MOVEMENT OF THE COMPOSITION AS IT IS BEING PROCESSED, SAID RESTRAINING FORCE BEING AT LEAST EQUAL TO THAT NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE CONDUCTIVE COMPOSITION DURING THE TIME IT IS HEATED FROM THE GREEN STATE TO THE RIGID STATE; AND (C) SUPPORTING SAID MOVING CONDUCTIVE COMPOSITION DURING ITS TRANSITION TO THE RIGID STATE AND SUBSTANTIALLY PRESERVING ITS SHAPE BY MEANS OF A TRANSITION SECTION WHICH CONTAINS A HIGH TEMPERATURE RESISTANT ELECTRICAL INSULATING MATERIAL.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS OR PRODUCING BAKED CARBON BODIES FROM A GREEN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE CARBONACEOUS MASS WHICH EVOLVES GASES AND WHICH BECOMES RIGID UPON BEING HEATED, SAID GREEN CARBONACEOUS MASS HAVING AN A.D. OF AT LEAST 1.4 G./CC., WHICH COMPRISES MEANS FOR SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY AND MECHANICALLY FORCING SAID GREEN CARBONACEOUS MASS INTO AND THROUGH THE APPARATUS, MEANS FOR RESISTIVELY HEATING THE GREEN MASS WHILE IT IS MOVING SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY TO RENDER IT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID AND SELF-SUPPORTING, SAID HEATING MEANS COMPRISING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH SAID GREEN CARBONACEOUS MASS AND WHICH CONDUCTORS ARE ADPATED TO INCLUDE THE MOVING CARBONACEOUS MASS AS A RESISTANCE ELEMENT AND TO APPLY A VOLTAGE ACROSS SAME AND TO CAUSE A CURRENT TO FLOW THERETHROUGH, MEANS CONTAINING A HIGH TEMPERATURE RESISTANT ELECTRICAL INSULATING MATERIAL FOR SUPPORTING SAID GREEN CARBONACEOUS MASS WHILE IT IS MOVING AND DURING ITS TRANSITION TO THE RIGID STATE, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS BEING A SYSTEM WHICH SURROUNDS AND PHYSICALLY CONTACTS THE GREEN CARBONACEOUS MASS BETWEEN THE POINT THAT VOLTAGE IS APPLIED ACROSS SAME AND THE POINT THAT SAID MASS BECOMES RIGID AND SELF-SUPPORTING, MEANS FOR PERMITTING THE ESCAPE OF THE GASES FROM THE GREEN MASS WHEN IT IS HEATED, AND MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID CARBONACEOUS MASS UNDER A SUBSTANTIAL PRESSURE DURING ITS TRANSITION FROM THE GREEN TO RIGID STATE, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A RESTRAINING MEMBER EXERTING A REVERSE AXIAL THRUST EXCITED UPON THE SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY MOVING RIGID MASS, SAID RESTRAINING MEMBER TENDING TO OPPOSE THE FORWARD AXIAL MOVEMENT OF THE RIGID MASS AS IT IS BEING PROCESSED, AND SAID RESTRAINING MEMBER EXERTING A FORCE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THAT NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE CARBONACEOUS MASS DURING THE TIME IT IS HEATED FROM THE GREEN STATE TO THE RIGID STATE AND WHILE THE GASES ARE EVOLVED.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS OR PRODUCING BAKED CARBON BODIES FROM A GREEN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE CARBONACEOUS MASS WHICH EVOLVES GASES AND WHICH BECOMES RIGID UPON BEING HEATED, SAID GREEN CARBONACEOUS MASS HAVING AN A.D. OF AT LEAST 1.4 G./CC., WHICH COMPRISES MEANS FOR SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY AND MECHANICALLY FORCING SAID GREEN CARBONACEOUS MASS INTO AND THROUGH THE APPARATUS, MEANS FOR RESISTIVELY HEATING THE GREEN MASS WHILE IT IS MOVING SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY TO RENDER IT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID AND SELF-SUPPORTING, SAID HEATING MEANS COMPRISING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH SAID GREEN CARBONACEOUS MASS AND WHICH CONDUCTORS ARE ADPATED TO INCLUDE THE MOVING CARBONACEOUS MASS AS A RESISTANCE ELEMENT AND TO APPLY A VOLTAGE ACROSS SAME AND TO CAUSE A CURRENT TO FLOW THERETHROUGH, MEANS CONTAINING A HIGH TEMPERATURE RESISTANT ELECTRICAL INSULATING MATERIAL FOR SUPPORTING SAID GREEN CARBONACEOUS MASS WHILE IT IS MOVING AND DURING ITS TRANSITION TO THE RIGID STATE, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS BEING A SYSTEM WHICH SURROUNDS AND PHYSICALLY CONTACTS THE GREEN CARBONACEOUS MASS BETWEEN THE POINT THAT VOLTAGE IS APPLIED ACROSS SAME AND THE POINT THAT SAID MASS BECOMES RIGID AND SELF-SUPPORTING, MEANS FOR PERMITTING THE ESCAPE OF THE GASES FROM THE GREEN MASS WHEN IT IS HEATED, AND MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID CARBONACEOUS MASS UNDER A SUBSTANTIAL PRESSURE DURING ITS TRANSITION FROM THE GREEN TO RIGID STATE, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A RESTRAINING MEMBER EXERTING A REVERSE AXIAL THRUST EXCITED UPON THE SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY MOVING RIGID MASS, SAID RESTRAINING MEMBER TENDING TO OPPOSE THE FORWARD AXIAL MOVEMENT OF THE RIGID MASS AS IT IS BEING PROCESSED, AND SAID RESTRAINING MEMBER EXERTING A FORCE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THAT NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE CARBONACEOUS MASS DURING THE TIME IT IS HEATED FROM THE GREEN STATE TO THE RIGID STATE AND WHILE THE GASES ARE EVOLVED.