Improvements in and connected with Moulds for Manufacturing Ribbed Metallio Plates, the said Plates being more especially intended for use in Electrical Secondary Batteries.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 8th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 6th July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Moulds for Manufacturing
Ribbed Metallio Plates, the said Plates being more especially
intended for use in Electrical Secondary Batteries.
I, ANTHONY SPENCER BOWER of St. Neots in the County of Huntingdon,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
1
This invention relates to improvements in means for manufacturing plates with
parallel ribs and grooves on one or both sides thereof the said ribs and grooves
being generally of greater depth than width, necessitating peculiar mechanism
whereby these ribs and grooves may be formed by casting.
These improvements consist in constructing the moulds of matrices (which may be
made up of 'sections of any convenient width so that when joined together the said
sections form the full size of the matrix to be cast from) and these may be formed
out of a solid block by cutting therein slots of the proper width and depth. "They
may be hinged at one end and have a pip or bolt running through them at the
other, which pin or bolt after the plate is cast may be withdrawn, and each section
be liberated by a lever or cam from the cast plate. To cast plates in an
expeditious manner with ribs and grooves on both sides two of the moulds or
matrices as before described "are mounted in frames which frames may be hinged
together on one side so that they may be opened or separated as a book is opened.
The hinged sides are conveniently placed downwards and the moulds or matrices
are so arranged that when the frames are close together similar to a closed book,
the moulds are so far apart as to leave the necessary space to form the backbone or
solid portion of the plate. To draw the plate out of the mould I employ two
metallic strips to grip the top edge or border of the plate as well as the gate or
runner through which the metal flows into the mould and by means of these
metallic strips and by the intervention of screws or similar appliances, I force the
two portions of the framework which hold the moulds apart thereby separating
them from the cast plate. A similar arrangement may be provided for that side of
the frame which is nearest to the hinges. Or the frame and block may be in one
piece, two such pieces being hinged together to make a mould and suitable
arrangements may be made to grip the plate that is cast while the hinged pieces
are separated as already described.
Dated the 8th day of July 1891
J. H. JOHNSON & Co., ~
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements, in, and connected with Moulds for Manufacturing
Ribbed, Metallio, Plates, the said Plates being more especially
Intended for use in Electrical 'Secondary Batteries.
I ANTHONY SPENCER BOWER of St. Neots in the County of Huntingdon
Engineer do, hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
1.
This invention relates to improvements in means for manufacturing plates with
ribs and grooves on one or both sides thereof: The said ribs and grooves being
generally of greater depth than width necessitates peculiar mechanism for casting
these ribs and grooves and for enabling the plates to be removed from the moulds

page_text: without injury. According to my invention I provide a matrix or matrices having
therein grooves corresponding to the ribs to be cast on the plate and carried by
hinged frames provided with means for removing the cast plate as hereinafter
described. When ribs and grooves are to be cast on both sides of the plate two
of the matrices are mounted in the frames which frames may be hinged together
(so that they can be opened or separated as a book is opened) and constitute the
casing of the mould. The hinged sides are most conveniently the lowermost sides
and the matrices are so arranged that when the frames are closed together (similar
to a closed book) these matrices have the ribs on them so far apart as to leave
between them tlie necessary space to form the backbone or solid portion required in
the cast plate. To remove or loosen the plate from the mould I employ in con-
nection with each half of the mould a metal strip or slide to bear on the top edge
or border of the plate as well as on the portion formed in the gate or runner through
which the metal flows into the mould and by means of one of these strips or slides
and by the intervention of screws or similar appliances, I force apart the two
portions of the casing thereby separating the one matrix from the cast plate and
by the siniilar arrangement in connection with the other half of the mould I force
the cast plate from the other matrix.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the
several figures on the annexed drawings the same reference numbers indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 3 is a front elevation of a mould made
according to my invention shewing it in the closed position ready for a plate to be
cast therein.
h
Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line a b Figure 3.
Figure 4 is a section of the mould shewing it partly open.
Figure 5 is a section shewing it half open and Figure 7 is a section shewing it
entirely open, and shewing the plate that has been cast ready to be taken away.
Figure 6 is a plan of the mould lying open with the cast plate removed, and
ready to be closed again for casting of another plate.
Figure 8 is an enlarged section of the matrices of the mould the section being
one made along the line c d.
1. 1. is the casing (preferably of metal) which receives the grooved
matrices 2. 2.
The casing surrounds the matrices 2.-2. and the parts thereof, when the mould is
closed, are in contact with each other at 3. 3. (see Figure 8) while the matrices are
fixed by screws 5. 5. and 6. 6. so as to be at any desired distance from one another
the space between them being filled by the molten metal which forms a backbone or
web for the longitudinal ribs formed by the metal which enters the grooves in the
matrices. The black.portion in Figure 8 represents the section of a plate that is cast
in this mould 4. 4. shewing the web or backbone, the thickness of which may be
varied at pleasure. If the ribs of the matrices 2. 2. be made to touch one another
instead of leaving a spaco between them as sewn there will be no backbone and
the cast plate would consist of number of lead ribbons or strips joined at the top
and bottom only. The screws 5. 5. serve to draw the matrix or matrices' 2. 2.
towards the back of the casing 1. 1. while the screws 6. 6. act as stops to limit the
movement given by the said screws 5. 5.
To the sides of the case 1. 1. metal pieces 7. 7. are fixed by bolts 8.-8. The
lower euds of these pieces 7. 7. form parts of hinges 9. 9. they turning on the other
part of the hinge constituted by the pins which pass through the foot 10. 10.
of the mould. This foot has an upright midfeather 11. 11. against which two
strips of metal 12. 12. are caused to ahut by means of the sorews 13. 13. These
strips of metal are kept up against the matrices 2. 2. by flat springs 20 placed
between them, and the halves of the case 1. 1. for the purpose of preserving a tight
joint at the bottom of the mould but yet to allow the matrices 2. 2. to expand

page_text: sufficiently when the molten metal is poured between them, otherwise (the
slide 14. 14. (hereinafter described) would become set fast so that they could not
be readily moved by hand as is necessary.
These slides 14 play a very important part in my invention as without them a
plate after having been cast could not readily and without injury be removed from
the matrices because of the great friction existing between the cast metal and the
ribs of the said matrices. These slides, when the mould is closed and when they
are brought as close to one another as they can be, form a gate or runner to
distribute the molten metal evenly over the casting to be made. Tlio molten metal
is in the first instance poured into the bowl 5 5 and thence it flows through the
openings between the slides 14. 14.-to the interior of the mould.
As soon as the molten metal has set one of the screws 15. 15. (which work in
screwed holes in the casing) is rotated, and since the slide is in contact with the
metal of the plate that has been cast the casing and the matrix åre forced away
from the cast plate as shewn in Figure 4.
That side of the mould is then laid down as in Figure 5 and then the other slide
is forced inwards by its screw 1. forcing the cast plate away from the other side of
the mould as shewn in Figure 5. The slides 14 are then secrewed back into
their former position and the whole mould is then laid flat open as shewn in
Figures 6 and 7.
The cast plate may then be removed and the mould he closed as shewn in
Figure 1 for another casting to be made.
There are sometimes feet required for these plates and also sometimes tabs or
strips for making the necessary electrical communication. Recesses 16 and 17 are -
shewn for receiving the metal for the casting of such feet and tabs and advantage is
taken of these, recesses to form risers 18 through which some of the molten metal
may flow to ensure the escape of air or gas bubbles which would otherwise spoil the
plate for electrical purposes.
In any case whether there be feet and tabs or not, I provide these risers, from
some convenient part of the mould space as care-must be taken to prevent air or
gas being imprisoned' in casting. The matrices 2. 2. are made of solid metal out
of which the necessary grooves are cut which can be done most efficiently and
readily by rotary cutters. The grooves should be perfectly smoothed.
I have found that the method of building the said matrices of metallic strips
described in my Provisional Specification is not desirable in practice because of the
great trouble and expense attached thereto and because the plates cast in such
matrices are very inferior to those that are produced by casting from matrices
having the grooves formed by cutting out from the solid metal.
It is obvious that if desired "half plates" (that is plates with the longitudinal
ribs on one side only) can be cast by using only one matrix a simple flat plate
taking the place of the other matrix. Or a flat plate may be placed between the
halves of the mould and two half plates be cast at the same time the slides 14. 14.
being worked and the matrices being adjusted in the manner herein before described.
The tubes 19. 19 are used for convenience in handling the mould when hot. The
plates may be used in the form in which they leave the moulds or they may be
made into box form. The matrices may be made each in one piece or of several
pieces placed close together in the casing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
olaim is :-
-
1. A mould consisting of a grooved matrix or grooved matrices in com-
bination with a casing or frame in parts hinged together and having strips or
parts which can be moved inwards to separate the cast plates from the mould
substantially as herein before described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
2. For casting ribbed metallic plates a mould having strips, slides or parts

page_text: I
capable of being moved inwards (such as the strips marked 14 in the accompanying
other
drawings) for loosening, or removing the mould and cast plate from each
substantially as herein before described.
3. In moulds, for casting ribbed metallic plates the combination of a hinged
casing or frame and a grooved matrix, or grooved matrices so arranged in the said
casing or frame as to allow a space to be left in the mould to form the body or
backbone of the plate substantially as, hereinbefore described and illustrated by
the accompanying drawings.
DAL
IT