Improvements in and relating to Electric Accumulators.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Jan., 1896-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Electric Accumulators.
I, ROBERT JACOB GÜLCHER of Charlottenberg in the Empire of Germany
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 :-
This invention relates to the production of electric accumulator plates and their
combination to form an electric accumulator.
According to the present invention a support for the active material is provided
by means of a fabric, the warp threads of which consist of lead wires, whilst the
weft threads consist of glass cotton, glass or quartz threads.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a front elevation of such a support, and
Figure 2 a section through A B of Figure 1;
Figures 3 and 4 show the combination of the plates to form an accumulator.
The support for the active material is formed in the following manner.-Lead
wires a (in number corresponding to the width of the plate which is to be formed)
are stretched on a suitable loom as warp, and interwoven with threads b of glass
cotton, glass or quartz threads as weft. After a fabric has thus been produced of
a suitable length, it is cut into pieces corresponding to the size of the plates. The
lead wires are then laid bare for a short length at the top and bottom and inserted
in a specially arranged mould or casting forin, into which molten lead is poured to
form a frame round the free ends of the lead wires and preferably also on the two
side edges. A thorough connection of the molten lead with the ends of the lead
wires, which latter serve for the supply as well as for the distribution of the electric
current, is thus produced by the partial fusing of the lead wires. The upper end
of the lead franie which has been cast round the fabric should in the mould take
the form of a bar c with two lugs d and a projecting strip e. The lugs d serve for
suspending the plates, while the strip e is utilized for establishing a good conducting
connection of the electrodes with the ends of the poles of the accumulator by the
usual soldering or fusing.
The above described fabric is now impregnated with the active material in any
convenient way and the finished plates are then combined as shown in Figures 3
and 4 to form an accumulator.
Figure 3 is a section through x-x of Figure 4, and
Figure 4 is a section through y-y of Figure 3.
The plates are arranged in the usual way in two groups as positive and negative,
each group ending in a conducting strip g or g'. The separate plates are wrapped
in a layer of glass cotton h and placed between two insulating stands which
support the said plates fand compress them in such a way that the glass cotton acts
as a buffer between them.
The two stands i are connected with one another at the top by means of comb-
shaped plates k of insulating material, and the lugs d rest between the teeth of these
Beneath
combs. The combs are connected to the stands i by means of screws 1.
the accumulator plates the two stands i are also connected by means of bars i
which are fixed by pins.
The whole system is then placed in a suitable vessel and surrounded with the
electrolyte.

page_text: 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
claim is :-
1. Plates for electric accumulaters, consisting of a fabric supporting the active
material and formed by interweaving lead wires as the warp, and threads of glass
cotton, glass or quartz as the weft, said fabric being formed to suitable size and
having molten lead cast round it in the form of a frame substantially as herein-
before set forth.
2. In an electric accumulator, plates such as described, wrapped in glass cotton and
suspended between two supports or stands i connected by plates k and bars m
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 1st day of January 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.