IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY PILES OR BATTERIES
Year: 1883

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LETTERS PATENT to Edward Griffith Brewer of 33 Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY
PILES OR BATTERIES communicated to him from abroad by Gustave Arnould
and René Tamine of Mons in the Kingdom of Belgium
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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Griffith Brewer at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th April 1883.
"
EDWARD GRIFFITH BREWER of 33 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY PILES OR BATTERIES (A Communication to me
from abroad by Gustave Arnould and René Tamine of Mons in the Kingdom of
Belgium)
Instead of the metallic electrodes now generally employed in secondary piles or
batteries, according to this invention metallic electrodes made of wires or bands
of suitable section are wholly or partially used, and the said wires are arranged
in any desired form or shape. The object in view is to obtain from a given weight
of metal the greatest surface possible and practicable for increasing the electro
motive force diminishing the resistance and enabling a more frequent and easier
collection of the electricity and of profiting if possible of the reciprocal action of the
currents which circulate in the wires.
Thus the different forms of electrodes actually made use of and made of lead,
copper, zinc or of any other suitable metal may with advantage be replaced by
wires or bands of these same metals either in their natural state or prepared to
receive a more prompt and energetic action of the currents by oxydation or other
chemical action or by the previous deposit of substances in some of the well known
processes by for example Messieurs de la Rive, Becquerel Senior, Marie Bavy and
Edm: Becquerel.
The metallic wires may be hollow or solid having smooth or grooved surfaces
and the section may be of various geometric forms either rectangular or irregular ;
according to one arrangement the wires or ribbons may touch or be separated by
means of any suitable substance-it is preferred however to make the wires
parallel, spiral and as solenoids as about to be described.

page_text: In the first arrangement metallic parallel wires in the same plane and as joined
as possible are united at their ends or at any point whatever by joining pieces of
the same metal as that of the wires; these joining pieces can be prolonged so as to
constitute one of the poles of the pile.
The pile is composed of a certain number of elements of this kind alternately
positive and negative placed in a box and separated by an insulating material.
There are other ways of arranging the parallel wires; for example it will be
understood that by flattening, rolling or stretching parallel series of wires can be
produced or parallel blades united at any one or several suitable or desired points.
For certain metals the object may be attained by casting them in any convenient
form. With a metallic blade of lead for example this may be subdivided into thin
portions producing wires of different sections by means of parallel cutters. The
parallel wires may be also folded the one on the other and horizontally.
Another arrangement refers to a pile of a spiral form. Each spiral is composed
of a metallic wire the spirals of which may touch or be insulated from one another.
These spirals alternately form the positive and negative electrodes of the pile; one
of the ends or the two ends of each spiral is or are brought out of the liquid in
order to respectively produce the poles of the pile.
According to another arrangement the element is in the form of solenoids or in
defined screws as follows. These solenoids or screws are each composed of a
continuous metal wire in circular circuits or spread out to certain distances
touching or separate; one of the ends may be brought to an internal generatrix.
This end may also be brought so as to form several series of circular circuits
concentric to the first series.
It is understood that these different arrangements are independent of the
materials in use (metals and baths). It should be understood that one of the
electrodes only should be of one of the arrangements above described the other
electrode being a plane plate or undulated or perforated. As to the substance for
separating the electrodes it is intended to employ either blades or rings of
insulating material either of pieces of parchment, or vases, discs or plates of porous
earthenware more or less baked, in a word all or any of the elements that are or
may be employed for separating the elements in primary piles.
Secondary piles or batteries constructed according to this Invention are
recommended as being most advantageous.
1. The system wherein the two electrodes are of lead and dip in a bath acidulated a
with sulphuric acid.
2. That where one of the electrodes is of lead and the other of copper these two
electrodes dipping in a bath of sulphate of copper slightly acidulated with sul-
phuric acid. In this second case the copper electrode may be replaced by a carbon
electrode.
The electrodes may be placed either vertically or horizontally or obliquely. It is
understood that the secondary elements may be associated or coupled up either for
tension or quantity.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Griffith Brewer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th October 1883.
EDWARD GRIFFITH BREWER of 33, Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY PILES OR BATTERIES." (A communication to me
from abroad by Gustave Arnould and Réné Tamine of Mons in the Kingdom of
Belgium)
Instead of the metallic electrodes now generally employed in secondary piles or
batteries, according to this invention metallic electrodes made of wires or bands
of suitable section are wholly or partially used and the said wires are arranged in
any desired form or shape. The object in view is to obtain from a given weight of
metal the greatest surface possible and practicable for increasing the electro
motive force diminishing the resistance and enabling a more frequent and easier
collection of the electricity and of profiting if possible of the reciprocal action of
the currents which circulate in the wires.
Thus the different forms of electrodes actually made use of and made of lead
copper zinc or of any other suitable metal may with advantage be replaced by
wires or bands of these same metals either in their natural state or prepared to
receive a more prompt and energetic action of the currents by oxydation or other
chemical action or by the previous deposit of substances in some of the well known
processes Messieurs de la Rive Becquerel Senior, Marié Bavy and Edm. Becquerel
(see on this subject the Reports of the Paris Academy of Science T XVI 1843
T XXII 1846 T XLIX 1859 TL 1860) or amalgamated.
The metallic wires may be hollow or solid having smooth or grooved surfaces
and the section may be of various geometric forms either rectangular or irregular
according to one arrangement the wires or ribbons may touch or be separated by
means of any suitable substance, it is preferred however to make the wires parallel
spiral, and as solenoids as about to be described.
In the first arrangement metallic parallel wires in the same plane and as joined
as possible are united at their ends or at any point whatever by joinings or joining
pieces of the same metal, as that of the wires; These joinings or pieces can be
prolonged so as to constitute one of the poles of the pile.
The diagrams annexed Figures 1, 2 and 3 show at A the series of parallel wires;
at B, and C the junction pieces and D the pole of the electrode.
The pile is composed of a certain number of elements of this kind alternately
positive and negative placed in a box and separated by an insulating material.
There are other ways of arranging the parallel wires for example it will be
understood that by flattening rolling or stretching parallel series of wires can be
produced or parallel blades united at any one or several suitable or desired points.
For certain metals the object may be attained by casting them in any convenient
form. With a metallic blade of lead for example this may be subdivided into
thin portions producing wires of different sections by means of parallel cutters
The parallel wires may be also folded and refolded the one on the other and
borizontally.
Another arrangement refers to a pile of a spiral form. Each spiral is composed
of a metallic wire the spirals of which may touch or be insulated from one another.
These spirals alternately form the positive and negative electrodes of the pile; one
of the ends or the two ends of each spiral is or are brought out of the liquid in
order to respectively produce the poles of the pile.
According to another arrangement the element is in the form of solenoids or in
defined screws as follows. These solenoids or screws are each composed of a
continuous metal wire in circular circuits or spread out to certain distances, touching
or separate one of the ends may be brought to an internal generatrix. This end
may also be brought so as to form several series of circular circuits concentric to
the first series.

page_text: It is understood that these different arrangements are independent of the
materials in use (metals and baths) It should be understood that one of the
electrodes only should be of one of the arrangements above described the other
electrode being a plane plate or undulated or perforated. As to the substance for
separating the electrodes it is intended to employ either blades or rings of
insulating material either of pieces of parchment or vases, discs or plates of porous
earthenware more or less baked in a word all or any of the elements that are or
may be employed for separating the electrodes in primary piles.
In the preceding description the invention has been described in a somewhat
general manner now it is intended to include the arrangements summarily described
under the designation of arrangements of parallel wires and for making the matter
clearer another drawing is annexed showing the accumulator as it can be conveniently
employed in industry and for commercial purposes.
Each electrode is in this case only composed of a singlo series of parallel wires
in the same plane. This point is characteristic whilst that the entire surface of
each wire constituting the electrode is utilized.
In fact in an accumulator case a varying number of similar electrodes is arranged
one set of plates giving one of the poles and the alternate set the pole of contrary
name. It is evident that as the wires of a plate do not touch each other except
according to a generatrix each half cylinder of an electrode is in presence of a
similar part of an electrode of contrary sign and the double surfaces are thus
completely utilized.
The perspective drawing Figure 4 represents an accumulator composed of a
dozen plates of which the numbers 1. 3. 5. 7. 9 and 11 form one of the poles and
the numbers 2. 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 the other pole.
Each of these plates such as the first A, B, C. D is formed as will be seen by a
series of parallel wires joined in the same plane; the extremities of these wires are
united by autogenous joining pieces at A, B, and C, D one of these joining pieces
is prolonged to complete the pole.
Although the mode of the separation of the electrodes may vary the drawing
represents the plates of electrodes engaged in the grooves which are formed in a
paraffined wood plate.
Secondary piles or batteries constructed according to this Invention are
recommended as being most advantagous where
1. The system wherein the two electrodes are of lead and dip in a bath
acidulated with sulphuric acid.
2. That where one of the electrodes is of lead and the other of copper these two
electrodes dipping in a bath of sulphate of copper slightly acidulated with
sulphuric acid. In this second case the copper electrode may be replaced by
carbon electrode.
ilt
The electrodes may be placed either vertically or horizontally or obliquely It
should be understood that the secondary elements may be associated or coupled up
either in tension or quantity.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed I declare that I claim. In secondary piles or batteries
the employment of metallic electrodes made of wire ribbons or bands all constructed
combined arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Edward Griffith Brewer have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Ninth day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three
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