Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-17
S|MPL|F|ED LESSONS IN
PROPER CARE OF AUTOS
Storage Battery OH Modern Car Per-
hars Most Important Sim
gle Unit.
CONSTRUCTION AND PURPOSE
Methods OF Building and Charging
Fully Described by Timcs-Dis-
patch Expert in Explaining Meth
otis for Proper Upkeep.
LESSON NO. -.

Gusrr,!chl
The storage battery may accm 10 b:
an insignificant un!i OF the automobile.
trt on most OF the prcscnt-day cars II
~ important that its failure viii!
mem the failur. 81 the entire car. On
those car! which depend on the storage
battery for tie current for the ignition
system, if the battery be dead the en-
ginc VIII h" just as useless as II the
gasoline tank was empty.
Let Us see how the battery /. made
how * operates and it's care.
Tic storage battery consists OF
number OF cells. called accumulation
coils. each cell being capable OF yield
ing current having a voltage OF FL
Thus. IL a giK-volt battery is needed. the
battery is madc Up OF three cells. while
If twelve volts arc needed, six cells arc
used
Each cell is made up OF jar. gen
orally OF hard rubber, in which arc Two
sets OF plates. positive and negative.
These plates are made Of lead, in the
form Of a grid. In on grid one set OF
plates. a paste OF gray. Spongy lead is
forced while in the other set paste
of rcd oxide OF lead Ia forced. The
plates arc then set together so that
there VIII be a era? plate. then red.
then gray, etc, all the red plates be-
ing connected 10 common binding
post and like wise. the gray. The plates
arc kept from touching hy scparators.
made either o. specially treated wood
or porus rubber. and arc then placed
in the Jars 'rhc jars arc then covered
and sealed and the plates OF the va
rous cells connected, the positive Of
one to the negative OF tho mex. Thus
tho cells will be in series.
When the battery IL ready for service
solution. called the ciectrolyte. made
o. mixture OF sulphuric acid and
water, il then poured into the cells.
and an electric current sent into the
battery.
AS the curren, entera the battery the
water on the clcctryolyte Is dccomposed
into hydrogen and oxygen Tho hy-
drogcn will escape as gas and the
oxygen combine with tho soft lead o..
negative plates. which lead Will leave
tnA plate and he deposited in the form
OF oxide Of lead on the positive plates.
Until no more can be dcsposi.ed. The
battery is then fully charged.
Note that the hydrogen OF the wa
ter escaped but that the sulphuric acid
was not affected.
When the battery has been charged.
~ circuit be made on tho outside. the
reverse chemical action will take place.
and electric current flow from the bat
tc'y. In this case. the oxide Of lead
gives UP as oxygen, which escapes as
gas, and tho lead is deposited back
on the eoft-icad plates.
Note that now the oxygen escapes,
bat that ;hc sulphur!c acid again is un-
affected
The relation between the above
oh. 4
trcity is explained b. what is known
as the theory OF ions This theory can
not be explained hc.c. but | want you
10 notice how the water disappears,
while the acid does not
For this reason one OF The mos; i'm
por,ant things which mus, hr done 10
the battery Is 10 fill IL with water rcgu-
larry. Figure ! shows tho level at
which the solution must be maintained.
II must not come higher than this as
II Will cause sho-t-circut. The va
'cr used must he distilled. so az to
DC chemically pure. Filtered water viii!
no, do.
Acid must never be added TO the
battery. cvc. though !: hc years old.
When tho clcctr"lytc is poured ir;o
tho battery. the Irst thing that hap
pens is that much OF the acid is all
sorbcd h. tho plates. but AZ the plates
arc charged they cannot hold 80 much
OF the acid by absorption. and the
acid E3.s back into the solution as the
battery becomes charged. AS the acid
is much heavier than the water. the
solution Will be lighter. when the bat
tory is discharged. and much OF The
acid has been absorbed out Of the So
luton, and heavier when the battery is
charged, and the acid is back liz the
solution. This gives means for see
ing how we'll charged the battery is:
al, h. no -
trolyte Is.
For this purpose a hydromctcr is
used. If some OF tho solution is drawn
out OF the battery by a syringe AID
tho hyHromc,er put into ii. tho depth
10 which it sinks will indicate the
weight of the clectroiytc. Thus. III Fig
urc ., the top o: the liquid comes to
the mark 1900, indicating tina, the So
LUTON is onc-half times tho weight OF
water
The following table gives the amount
nf charge for the various readings and
tho temperature AT which the solution
Will freeze:
li:c. discharged; freezes. 20 above
zero.
1850, ,hrcc.quar,cr. discharged;
freezes n. zero.
1910 onc-ha!f discharged; freezes. 90
Below zero.
1850, one-auarter discharged freezes.
90 below zero.
l:75 TO 1900 fully charged.
y battery must never be left stand
ing in a discharged state, as Goa ting
will form on tho plates. making il hard
20 charge them. For this reason, if the
car is not used in the winter, the bat
terry should he stored with battery
service station. where it can he charged
periodically. An idle battery loses it's
charge.
\ battery mus. not he charged or dis
charged too quickly. as this will gen
crate heat and warp the plates. On
in"st cars tho battery is charged 81
about u lc-ampcre rate. which is the
maximum safe charge. When, however.
tho Sclf-Star;er motor is used. Il cur
rcn. Of an ampcraGc from $50 to 200
will flow. which will result in a very
quick discharge. Therefore, IL your en-
zinc does not start promptly, do not
use the starter constantly, but stop and