Electric furnace

Claim 1

AN ELECTRIC FURNANCE COMPRISING AN OUTER SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL WALL HAVING AN OPENING FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING RESPECTIVELY THE ARTICLES TO BE HEATED, AN INNER SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL GRAPHITE WALL RADIALLY SPACED APART FROM SAID OUTER WALL AND DEFINING A HEATING SPACE IN THE FURNACE, THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE OUTER AND THE INNER WALL PROVIDING HEAT INSULATION DURING OPERATION OF THE FURNACE, A GRAPHITE RESISTANCE HEATING ELEMENT DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HEATING SPACE, SAID HEATING ELEMENT INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF GRAPHITE RODS ARRANGED IN CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO DEFINE A CYLINDRICAL PERIPHERAL OUTLINE, A DISCONTINUOUS GRAPHITE RING FORMED OF ELECTRICALLY SEPARATED SEGMENTS ARRANGED TO BE CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF CURRENT, A CONTINUOUS APERTURED GRAPHITE RING, SAID RODS ENGAGING AT ONE END SAID SEGMENTS IN ELECTRICAL CONTACT THEREWITH, THE OTHER ENDS OF SOME OF SAID RODS BEING FIXEDLY SECURED TO SAID CONTINUOUS GRAPHITE RING, EXPANDABLE COLLETS AT SAID OTHER ENDS OF THE REMAINDER OF THE RODS, SAID COLLET EXTENDING INTO APERTURES OF THE CONTINUOUS GRAPHITE RING, AND ADJUSTMENT MEANS ON SAID RODS COACTING WITH SAID COLLETS FOR ADJUSTING THE INTERNAL DIAMETER THEREOF TO EFFECT A HIGH QUALITY ELECTRIC CONTACT BETWEEN THE RODS AND THE CONTINUOUS GRAPHITE RING AND TO PERMIT AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID RODS WITH REFERENCE TO SAID RINGS.