AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF VOLTAIC ELECTRICITY
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Banks, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Electro Plater, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PRODUCTION OF VOLTAIC ELECTRICITY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Banks at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th August 1881.
ARTHUR BANKS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Electro Plater.
AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF VOLTAIC
ELECTRICITY."
In the coating of iron and steel with zinc, or tin, or terne metal, the iron and
steel require to be cleaned preparatory to their introduction into the bath of zinc,
tin, or terne metal. This cleaning, technically called "pickling," is effected by
steeping the iron and steel in dilute acid solutions, generally dilute hydrochloric
acid or dilute sulphuric acid.
By the action of the acid upon the iron or steel a thin film of the metal is
dissolved, thereby exposing a fresh and chemically clean surface of iron or steel to
which the melted zinc, tin, or terne metal readily attaches itself when the cleaned
iron or steel is plunged into a bath of melted zinc, tin, or terne metal.
The action of the acid upon the iron or steel may be so conducted as to be made
a source of voltaic electricity; and my Invention consists in conducting the
"pickling" of iron and steel under the conditions herein after described, so as to
obtain therefrom voltaic electricity, which may be applied to any of the purposes to
which voltaic electricity is or may be applied.
The coating of sheets of iron with zinc (commonly called galvanizing), is the
manufacture in connection with which my Invention is most conveniently practised,
and I will describe my Invention in connection with the said manufacture.
The sheets of iron plunged in the pickling vat containing dilute sulphuric or
dilute bydrochloric acid for the purpose of being cleansed, are each connected by
means of a metallic hook or other metallic connector, not acted upon by the acid, to
a rod or strong wire supported on the top edges of the vat. I place in the said vat

page_text: one or more upright porous vessels, according to the size of the vat, the tops of
In these
which porous vessels are above, the top of the dilute acid in the vat.
porous vessels (made preferably of unglazed earthenware), I place strong nitric acid
and plates or rods of carbon, preferably such as are used in Bunsen's battery. I
connect these carbon plates or rods together by means of metallic wires or con-
nections. The arrangement thus made is analogous to a voltaic battery, the iron
acted upon by the dilute acid being the analogue of the zinc of an ordinary
voltaic battery, and the carbon immersed in nitric acid in the porous vessel the
analogue of the carbon in Bunsen's battery. By means of the rods or wires
connected respectively with the iron and carbon, the voltaic electricity generated
by the arrangement described may be conducted to any required place and used
for electro plating or such other purposes as voltaic electricity is or may be used
for. For some purposes the current obtained by the arrangement described has
sufficient intensity; where a greater intensity of current is required, two or more
pickling vats having the arrangements described may be connected in the well
known manner, in which the elements of ordinary voltaic batteries are connected
to produce an intensity arrangement.
Although I prefer to use in the porous vessels carbon immersed in nitric acid, yet
I do not limit myself thereto, as platinum or other metal or material suited to form
a voltaic pair with iron may be substituted for carbon, and other liquids may be
substituted for nitric acid, as for example, a solution of bichromate of potash, or a
solution of sal-ammoniac.
The porous cell may be omitted, and a plate of copper or other electro-negative
metal or material be immersed in the pickling liquid. The voltaic current thus
obtained is of inferior intensity to that obtained by the arrangement first described,
but is sufficiently intense for some purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed.
"
by the said Arthur Banks. in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st February 1882.
ARTHUR BANKS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Electro Plater.
AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF VOLTAIC:
ELECTRICITY."
In the coating of iron and steel with zinc, or tin, or terne, or other metal, either
by electricity or by the processes generally known as galvanizing or tinning, the
iron and steel require to be cleaned preparatory to their introduction into the bath
of zinc, tin, or terne metal, or a solution of zinc, or tin, or other metal. This
cleaning technically called " pickling," is effected by steeping the iron or steel in
dilute acid solutions, generally dilute hydrochloric acid or dilute sulphuric acid.
By the action of the acid upon the iron or steel, a thin film of the metal is
dissolved, thereby exposing a fresh and chemically clean surface of iron or steel-
to which the melted zinc, tin, or terne metal readily attaches itself when the
cleaned iron or steel is plunged into a bath of melted zinc, tin, or terne metal, or to
which the electro deposited zinc, tin, or other metal readily attaches itself when a
chemically clean surface of iron or steel is plunged into baths containing solutions
of these or other metals.
The action of the acid upon the iron or steel may be so conducted as to bo
made a source of voltaic electricity, and my Invention consists in conducting the
'pickling" of iron and steel under the conditions hereinafter described, so as to
obtain therefrom voltaic electricity, which may be applied to any of the purposes
to which voltaic electricity is or may be applied.
The coating of sheets or tubes of iron with zinc, either by what is commonly
called galvanizing, or by electro deposition, is the manufacture in connection with
which my Invention may be very conveniently described.
The sheets or tubes of iron plunged in the pickling vat containing dilute
sulphuric or dilute hydrochloric acid for the purpose of being cleansed, are each
connected by means of a metallic hook or other metallic connector not acted upon
by the acid, to a rod or strong wire supported on the top edges of the vat. I place
in the said vat one or more upright-porous vessels, according to the size of the vat,
the tops of which porous vessels are above the top of the dilute acid in the vat.
In these porous vessels (made preferably of unglazed earthenware) I place strong
nitric acid and plates or rods of carbon, preferably such as are-used in Bunsen's
battery. I connect these carbon plates or rods together by means of metallic wires.
or connections. The arrangement thus made is analagous to a voltaic battery, the
iron acted upon by the dilute acid being the analogue of the zinc of an ordinary.
voltaic battery, and the carbon immersed in nitric acid in the porous vessel the
analogue of the carbon in Bunsen's battery. By means of the rods or wires
connected respectively with the iron and carbon the voltaic electricity generated
by the arrangement described may be conducted to any required place, and used for
electro plating or such other purposes as voltaic electricity is or may be used for.
For some purposes the current obtained by the arrangement described has sufficient
intensity; where a greater intensity of current is required, two or more pickling
vats having the arrangements described may be connected in the well known
manner, in which the elements of ordinary voltaic batteries are connected to
produce an intensity arrangement.
Although I prefer to use in the porous vessels carbon immersed in nitric acid,
yet I do not limit myself thereto, as platinum or other metal or material suited to
form a voltaic pair with iron may be substituted for carbon, and other liquids may

page_text: be substituted for nitric acid, as, for example, a solution of bichromate of potash or
a solution of sal-ammoniac.
The porous cell may be omitted and a plate of copper or other electro negative
metal or material be immersed in the pickling liquid. The voltaic current thus
obtained is of inferior intensity to that obtained by the arrangement first described,
but is sufficiently intense for some purposes.
In order that my Invention may be the better understood, I have represented in
the accompanying Drawing a pickling vat in which a series of iron or steel tubes
are being pickled or made chemically clean preparatory to being galvanized or
coated with some other metal by electro deposition, the said vats and their contents
being constructed and arranged according to my Invention. Figure 1 represents
the vat in vertical section, and Figure 2 represents the same in plan. The same
letters indicate the same parts in both Figures.
a is the vat; b, a metallic rod or tube of somewhat greater length than the vat,
and resting on the ends of the vat as represented; e is the dilute sulphuric acid or
other pickling liquid; e, f, g, are the iron or steel tubes being pickled or cleaned;
These tubes are suspended by wires e, f, g². The ends of these wires are bent
into hooks, by which hooks the tubes are brought into electrical communication
with the rod b. h, h, h, are porous cells arranged on each side of the tubes e, f, g.
These porous cells contain nitric acid, or aquafortis, or a solution of sal-ammoniac
or other good liquid conductor of electricity, as well as plates of carbon i, i, i.
The several plates of carbon i, i, i, are electrically connected together by means of
the wires k, l, and binding screws 1, . The wires h, k, are connected to the wire m,
and the rod b is connected to the wire n. The arrangement thus made resembles
essentially a voltaic battery, the tubes being pickled taking the place of the zinc of
an ordinary voltaic battery, and the carbon plates the place of the carbon or
other electro negative element of the battery. The electricity produced may be
conducted by the wires m and n to a vat where metal has to be deposited by
electricity, or the electricity may be employed for any other purpose to which it is
applicable.
Where a current of electricity is required of greater intensity than that yielded
by one pickling vat, two or more of the said vats may be connected in the same
way, as two or more voltaic cells are connected to produce an intensity arrangement,
as is well understood.
"
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention
of "An Improvement or Improvements in the Production-of-Voltaic-Electricity,"
combining with or adding to the trough or cistern in which tubes or sheets or
articles of iron and steel are pickled" or cleaned by the action of acids the
appliances herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, whereby
a voltaic combination is formed, in which combination the iron or steel acted upon
by the acid constitutes the electro positive element, a current of voltaic electricity
being thereby obtained, which may be applied to the electro deposition of metals or
other purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Banks, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
Witness,.
GEORGE SHAW.
ARTHUR BANKS. (L.S.)