Improvements in Electric Accumulators.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 19th Feb.,
1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Accumulators.
We, DAVID BROWNE, of 4, Rue de Horms, Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Doctor of Medicine, and PIERRE KAMPERDYK, of 73, Rue Gaucheret, Brussels, in
the Kingdom of Belgium, Student at the Polytechnic School of Brussels, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of this invention is to make an accumulator which will present the
largest possible active surface and so arranged that short circuits from the
buckling of plates or the falling of oxides so common in most accumulators will
be avoided.
to
In order to secure this end the electrodes are formed of lead or other suitable
metal in the form of small round balls or other suitable forms to
ensure good contact and present a large surface, to give good contact
these electrodes and divide the charging currents. Electrodes of metal which is
not acted on such as an alloy of lead and antimony are suitably placed to form
good contact with the active surfaces.
The negative and positive electrodes are separated in the containing vessel, by
a perforated partition of a non-conducting body such as hard vulcanised rubber,
celluloid or glass, wood or any of these combined in suitable form.
The small balls forming the electrodes may be of ordinary shot-lead, or a purer
kind of lead may be employed or they may be formed of small cubes having grooves
in them to allow of free circulation of the electrolite.
The surfaces of the balls may be roughened or have little pits or holes and they
may be covered by Pb. O, for positive and Pb O for negative electrodes or the
active surface may be formed by the passage of currents as in a Plante cell which
is preferable.
The drawing A represents a vertical section of a simple accumulator. B is the
containing vessel which may be formed of any of the materials generally employed
such as vulcanite, glass, wood or the like. When formed of metal such as
aluminium, lead and antimony alloy or the like, the inside is lined with a non-
conducting coating of suitable material.
D) shows the small balls which form the electrodes and E the distributing con-
ductors.
P shows the perforated partition separating the negative from the positive
electrodes, but allows free circulation of the electrolite.
W shows another method of forming the distributing conductors, which may be
in the form of a simple plate of an alloy of lead and antimony or any other com-
pound not acted on by the electrolite. Small spikes may also be formed on these
plates to give more points of contact or they may be left plain.
K shows a plan on line a-b of Figure A. N shows the division plate between
the electrodes. It may be formed of two perforated plates with glass, wood or
other suitable substance which does not increase the internal resistance too much.
This would be advisable in some cases when the accumulators are subjected to

page_text: much vibration but in most cases the simple perforated plate will be sufficient.
When the division is made of two perforated plates, the space between may also
be left open, and thus allow any powder to fall to the bottom, where it could easily
be removed, or again the division plate could be formed of very porous earthen-
ware, as a single plate.
O represents a cube with grooves in it which may be used instead of the balls.
The figures at the foot of the drawing show varying forms of the electrode materiál.
Several electrodes may be placed in one containing vessel having the divisions
between each electrode and coupled in the ordinary way. The containing vessel
can also be hermetically sealed by a suitable cover fixed in a convenient manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
-
1. In accumulators, an electrode formed of small balls cubes or the like, sub-
stantially as described.
2. The means of distributing the current for such accumulators by forked bars
(Figure A) and simple or spiked plates (Figure W) substantially as described.
3. In accumulators, separating plates such as P and N to prevent short
circuiting.
Dotad thin 15th day of Decanlon 1907
JOHN P. O'DONNELL, Fel. Chart. Inst., B.A.,
Agent for the said Applicant
70 & 71, Palace Chambers, Westminster, S.W.