Wall electrode for direct current powered electric arc furnace

A wall electrode for a D.C. powered electric arc furnace for the processing of metals in a liquid state, especially steel. The electrode is constituted mainly (a) by a metallic bar (4) one of whose ends comes into contact with the metallic bath (6), while a portion (7) of its other end extends to the exterior of the furnace; (b) by a sleeve (8) of thermally and electrically conductive material, energy-cooled by a flow of cooling fluid, surrounding the portion (7) of the other end of the bar at a distance therefrom; (c) by a nipple (9) of good electrically conductive material extending the aforementioned portion (7) of the other end of the bar; and (d) by a connection of the nipple and the sleeve to the same bar of an electrical supply. The invention takes into account the effects of differential expansion between the cold sleeve (8) and the alternately warm and cold bar (4), and permits a good thermal exchange and a good electrical contact between bar and sleeve to be maintained during repeated sequences of resmelting and resolidification of the bar.