Improvements connected with the Electrical Deposition of Zinc.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Oct., 1896-Accepted, 7th Nov., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with the Electrical Deposition of Zinc.
RICHARD HEATHFIELD of 1 Leadenhall Street E.C. Merchant and WILLIAM
STEPNEY RAWSON of 21 Greycoat Gardens S.W. Electrical Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In a Patent granted us and numbered 16105 of 1894 we have described a
method by which the alkaline solutions of zinc may be enriched by placing in the
solution zinc in contact with iron.
Our present invention relates to the arrangement of the depositing tank for
depositing zinc from an alkaline solution.
We use a tank made of a non conducting substance or of iron lined with a non
conducting substance such as Portland cement aud the anodes may be of perforated
iron or iron gauze through which the electrolyte can freely pass.
The iron gauze baskets containing scrap zinc or the zinc plates connected with
iron plates are disposed on the sides of the anodes removed from the cathode and
are not ordinarily in electrical connection with the anodes when a current is
passing.
Arrangements are made by plug switches or otherwise to put the anodes into
electrical connection with the zinc & iron couples when required.
When it is necessary to have extra rows of anodes in the tank each of these
anodes is made double in such a way as to allow the zinc & iron couple to be
inserted between the two sheets out of electrical contact with them but capable
of being easily put into electrical contact with them when required.
We may also in certain cases use rotating anodes of perforated iron sheet or
iron gauze containing fragments of zinc as described in our Patent No. 20365
of 1894.
The cathodes are suspended between the anodes in the usual way and are
preferably kept in motion.
Instead of zinc we may use alloys of zinc with other metals such as iron and
lead.
Dated the 3rd day of December 1895.
RICHARD HEATHFIELD,
W. STEPNEY RAWSON.
Improvements connected with the Electrical Deposition of Zinc.
RICHARD HEATHFIELD of 1 Leadenhall Street E.C. Merchant and WILLIAM
STEPNEY RAWSON of 21 Greycoat Gardens S.W. 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:-
In our Specification No. 16105 of 1894 we have described a method by which
the alkaline solutions of zinc may be enriched by placing in the solution zinc in
contact with iron

page_text: Our present invention relates to the arrangements of the depositing tank for
depositing zine from an alkaline solution.
We use a tank of a non conducting substance or of iron lined with a non
conducting substance such as Portland cement and we make our anodes of
perforated iron or iron gauze through which the electrolyte may freely pass.
They may also be made of platinum or other perforated conducting substance
which is not soluble when used as an anode in such a solution.
Iron gauze baskets containing scraps of zinc or zinc plates connected with iron
plates are disposed on the sides of the anode removed from the cathode but are not
ordinarily in electrical connection when the anodes when a current is passing.
Arrangements are made by a switch or otherwise to put the anodes into electrical
connection with the zinc and iron couples when the current is not passing.
When it is necessary to have extra rows of anodes in the tank each of these is
made double in such a way as to allow of a zinc & iron couple being inserted
between the two sheets out of electrical contact with them but capable of being
easily put into electrical contact with them when required.
The cathodes are preferably kept in motion.
Referring to the drawings
Fig. I shows the arrangement in the case of a single pair of anodes A A in a
tank D containing an alkaline solution of zinc such as zincate of soda; B B are
baskets of iron gauze containing fragments of zinc C, A. A are connected to the
bars marked and the cathode is hung from the bar marked
Fig. II shows the arrangement when there are more than two rows of anodes.
In such cases the inner anode A is made double and the basket B, is placed
between the two sheets or the folded sheet.
In both Figs. I & II the anodes are shown electrically connected to one of two
mercury cups H while the baskets containing zinc are connected to the other so
that a metal connector may easily be dropped in to connect the two when no
current is passing from the anodes to the cathode.
The mercury cups may be replaced by a switch & be worked by hand.
In order however to effect this automatically we provide a pivotted metal arm F
provided with two prongs which fall by gravity into the cups H. Whenever a
current passes through the coils of the electromagnet E the armature is attracted
and the prongs are withdrawn from the cups. The coil wound upon E may be of
low resistance and be placed in the main circuit of either of the leads to the tank
or it may be of high resistance & placed in shunt to either of the leads the object
in either case being to cause the arm F to break connection between the cups H
whenever a current is flowing from the anodes to the cathode in the electrolyte.
Having now particularly described the nature of our invention aud in what
manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is
I. In an electrolyte consisting of an alkaline solution of zinc the combination of
perforated anodes made of insoluble conducting material with couples of zinc and
iron disposed on the sides of the anodes remote from the cathodes substantially as
described.
II. In an electrolyte consisting of an alkaline solution of zinc the combination
of perforated anodes made of insoluble conducting material with couples of zinc
and iron such anodes being arranged so as to be put into electrical connection with
the couples when no current is passing from the anodes to the cathodes but to be
out of connection with them whenever a current is passing substantially as
described.
ليد
1002
RICHARD HEATHFIELD.
W. STEPNEY RAWSON.