Improvements in Secondary Battery Plates or Elements.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date, of Application, 20th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 20th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION...
Improvements in Secondary Battery Plates or Elements.
We ARTHUR HOUGH of 49 Houstin Road Forest Hill in the County of Kent
Electrician and OCTAVIUS MARCH of 70 Sinclair Road Kensington in the County
of Middlesex Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of an improved method of constructing plates for secondary
batteries where the active material is lead per oxide held in supports of lead or
lead alloy.
The active material we employ is made from litharge mixed in a dry state with
some suitable setting salt.
The lead supports (which are constructed in a special manner hereafter described)
are filled with the dry litharge mixture placed between layers of felt and a
convenient number of them clamped together and immersed in water or dilute
acid.
When the litharge mixture becomes hard the plates are placed in an electrolytic
bath and the litharge formed electrically into lead per oxide in the usual way.
As the litharge mixture expands during the process of formation we construct a
support of lead or lead alloy having the recesses for the "reception of the active
material contracted towards their outer edges for the purpose of holding the active.
material in place and so formed or arranged as to permit the active material to
expand during formation without injury to or distortion of the lead support.
We construct the supports in either of the two ways shown in the drawings.
A Fig. I is a plan of a support constructed of three separate parts.
B is a sectional view of the same thro a-b.
The centre part e is a plain sheet or plate the outer parts d-fare frames
or grids, the three parts are burned together at their edges. By this method of
construction we obtain the recesses for the reception of the active material
contracted towards their outer edges which cannot be done where the support is
cast in one piece. The three parts being burned together at their edges only give
out laterally from the centre plate during the expansion of the litharge in the
process of formation without injury to or distortion of the support as a whole.
We may omit the centre plate using the two outer frames only.
The support may be wholly or in part plated or coated with gold platinum or
other suitable non corrodible metal.
Fig. II represents a second method of constructing our lead support.
A number of small troughs of lead or lead alloy having a section similar to what
is known as channel iron but with the sides slightly turned in are placed back to
back and mounted in a suitable frame of lead or lead alloy.
The ends of these troughs or channels are burned on to the frame.
A Fig. Il is a plan of a support constructed in this way.
B is a sectional view of the same through a-b showing the troughs in section;
the way they are placed back to back; and the turning in of the sides.
The active material is placed in these troughs or channels. The turning in of
the sides retains the active material in place and also allows of its expansion during
formation without injury to or distortion of the support as a whole.
C Fig. II is a section through c-d showing the troughs or channels burned
together to the frame of lead or lead alloy."

page_text: The supports constructed in this manner may be wholly or in part coated or
plated with gold platinum or other non corrodible metal.
Dated this 20th day of February 1893.
ARTHUR HOUGH.
OCTAVIUS MARCH.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Secondary Battery Plates or Elements.
We ARTHUR HOUGH of 49. Houstin Road Forest Hill in the County of Kent
Electrician and OCTAVIUS MARCH of 70 Sinclair Road Kensington in the County
of Middlesex Electrical 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 :—
Our invention relates to an improved method of constructing plates for secondary
batteries where the active material is lead peroxide held in supports of lead or
lead alloy whereby we obtain our active material 'in a much harder and denser form
than can be obtained by pasting in the lead oxide or oxides or by inserting them in
the supports in a plastic state. The active material we employ is made from
litharge or a mixture of litharge with other lead oxides. The lead supports (which
are constructed in a special manner hereafter described) are filled with dry
powdered litharge or other mixture of lead oxides in a dry powdered state and are
placed between layers of felt or other suitable material moistened with a solution of
some suitable setting salt or with dilute sulphuric acid and slightly pressed. After
a few minutes the surface of the lead oxide becomes caked or set and the plate
is then. placed in an electrolytic bath and the forming proceeded with in the
usual way.
As the lead oxides expand during the process of formation we construct a
support of lead or lead alloy having the recesses for the reception of the active
material contracted towards their outer edges for the purpose of holding the active.
material in place and so formed or arranged as to permit the oxides to expand
during formation without injury to or distortion of the lead support.
We construct these supports in either of the two methods shown in the drawings
left with the Provisional Specification where Fig. I represents a support built up
of three separate parts.
The centre one being a plain sheet or plate and the two outer ones frames or
grids the three parts being burned together at their edges.
A is a plan of a support constructed in this way.
B is a sectional view of the same thro the point a―b.
e is the centre sheet or plate.
d and the two side frames or grids.
The support may also be constructed by burning together at the edges the two
frames or grids leaving out the centre plate.
Fig. I represents an alternative method a number of small troughs of lead or
lead alloy having a section similar to what is known as channel iron are placed
back to back and mounted in a suitable frame. The sides of the troughs are
slightly turned in for the purpose of holding the active material in place and at the
same time permitting its expansion during the process of formation.
A Fig. II is a plan of a support constructed in this way.
B is a sectional view of same through a-b showing the troughs in section the
a) is a section thro c-d.
they are placed back to back and the turning in of the sides.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :
1. The construction of lead per oxide plates for secondary batteries by filling

page_text: the support with the lead oxide or oxides in the form of a dry powder and setting
and forming the same as described such support being constructed of lead or lead
alloy in such a manner that it is capable of yielding without injury or distortion to
the expansion which takes place during the process of formation.
2. A support of lead or lead alloy capable of yielding without injury or
distortion to the expansion of the active material during formation constructed
substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of November 1893.
ARTHUR HOUGH.
OCTAVIUS MARCH.