Improvements in the Manufacture and Production of Elements or Plates for Electrical Storage Batteries.
Year: 1896

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 11 of the Patents, &c., Act, 1883), as required
by the decision of the Chief Examiner of the 16th day of July 1897.
Date of Application, 29th Dec., 1896-Accepted; 13th Feb., 1897
ט CULATEST
(AMENDED).
Improvements in the Manufacture and Production of Elements or
Plates for Electrical Storage Batteries.
I. CAMILLE BRAULT of 39 Rue de l'Arcade, Paris, in the Republio of France,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the saine
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement-
My invention consists in the manufacture and production of storage-battery elements
or plates by compression between grids, of active material or material to be rendered
active as hereinafter described.
In describing my invention I will refer to the accompanying drawing.
According to my invention I provide a conductive grid or support preferably of lead
alloyed with antimony it being made in parts A and B (Figure 1) by casting,
stamping or by any other suitable process. In section the bars of such grid are of
the shape represented in the said Figure 1 or they may be of any other shape such
that the bars of each part of the grid are wider at their external portion than they are
at their internal portion, so that the tablets of active material, or material to be
rendered active, are securely held in place between the said bars. The parts of the
grid are joined together after the completion of the plate which can be conveniently
done by soldering. The active material, or material to be rendered active, is prepared
in the following manner :-
I first prepare a dry mixture of oxide of lead and of a sulphate of an alkaline earth,
the quantity of salt being preferably so proportioned to the quantity of oxide of lead
that the mixture contains virtually one equivalent of the base for every six equivalents
of lead.
The mixture thus prepared is then moistened with such an amount of a solution
of ammonia as to give to the mass a consistency approximating that of flour.
large a quantity of solution be added, the material will be brought to the condition of
paste and it will then be necessary to allow or cause the liquid in excess to
evaporate before the mixtnre can be used, and this method of proceeding I find to
give the best result.
positive plates. The
manner, except that
The foregoing relates to the preparation of material for the
material for the negative plates is prepared in the same
from 1 to 2 per cent. of bisulphate of mercury is also added.
Having thus prepared the material, I proceed with the construction of the plates in
the following manner:-
I place one part (1) of the grid at the bottom of a mould (2); then I fill such
mould with active material or inaterial to be rendered active (3) which has been
prepared in the manner hereinbefore described; taking care to well smooth over the
surface of the said material.

page_text: I then place, the other part 4 of the grid upon the material 3; and on the said
part 4 I place a die 5 of such a s
size
as to fit, or just enter, the mould 2.
arrangement I then transfer to a press and compress it bodily.
This whole
The depth of the mould 2 and of the die 5 are such that the parts of the grid 1
and 4 are in contact with each other when the plate is compressed.
I then remove from the press the mould and die with the plate between and
I remove the plate from the mould and I steep the said plate for say a few hours in a
weak solution of sulphuric acid to which is added 2 to 3 per cent, of the salt.employed
in the preparation of the plates. Moisture is then allowed to drain off and the plate
is dried and when dry the parts 1 and 4 are joined together all along their
circumference, or (if preferred) at points only. To provide for the expansion which
always takes place in negative plates and sometimes also in positive plates in the course
of formation, I perforate the tablets of active material or material to be rendered
active in the said plates.
This operation may be performed either during the compression of the plate, or
after the construction of the plate has been completed. Or I may provide the bottom.6
of the mould 2 wherein the plate is compressed with a series of longitudinal
projections 7 of triangular shape in section, the height being equal to or about one
Lalf of the thickness of the plate.
The dio.5 also carries projections 8 similar to those on the mould bottom but
arranged transversely thereto.
These projections 7 and 8 make corresponding recesses in each side of each tablet
of material 3 so that intersecting grooves are formed therein as shewn at 9 in Figures 4
and 5. The parts where these grooves intersect form holes or recesses, the reduction
in thickness or strength of the material thus effected preventing the swelling from
injuriously affecting the plate. The projections instead of being each in a continuous
line may be in short lengths so that the respective pairs of projections 7 and 8 form
grooves in the shape of a cross.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is
1. The manufacture and production of electric storage-battery plates or elements by
conipressing between the parts of a conductive grid, constructed substantially as
described; netive material or material to be rendered active prepared from a mixture
of oxide of lead or litharge and sulphate of an alkaline earth treated with a solution
of ainmonia, (with or without bi-sulphate of mercury according to the denomination of
the plate) substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In the manufacture of electric storage-battery plates or elements ns claimed by
Claim the preparation of active material or material to be rendered active, from the
components and in or about the proportions herein before mentioned so as to form a
mass or paste, and causing or allowing any excess of moisture to evaporate as
hereinbefore oxplained.
3. In the manufacture of electric storage battery plates or elements as claimed by
Claim 1, the treatment of the plates after compression in an acid bath to which is
added a solution of the salt used in making the active material or material' to. be
rendered active as hereinbefore described.
.Dated this 29th day of December 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.