Anode positioning device

Claim 1

In an electrolytic cell having at least one anode adapted to be positioned toward an electrolytic bath, an anode positioning device for precisely displacing individual anodes comprising: a jack screw having a stationary guide housing, an externally helically threaded shaft through said housing and a retainer threadably engaged onto said shaft and attached to the anode; a ratchet having inner teeth adapted to engage a pawl and return a ratchet head mounted on a top portion of the jack screw shaft, and an arm integral with and connected to the ratchet head, said arm extending perpendicularly from the ratchet head with respect to the shaft; a fluid cylinder firmly anchored to said housing having a piston fitting inside a mating chamber in said cylinder and a piston rod extending from said piston and connected to said ratchet arm with said ratchet arm fully responsive to piston rod movement; means for reciprocally driving the piston in the chamber in said cylinder; and a detent device to hold said jack screw shaft in position while said ratchet arm and said piston rod connected thereto are stopped or in return stroke; whereby each stroke of the piston and the attached piston rod displaces the ratchet arm a constant lateral distance, which rotates the ratchet head, and thus the jack screw shaft connected thereto, thereby displacing the retainer and the attached anode along the rotating shaft.