Improvements in Secondary Batteries.
Year: 1895

page_text: TRUVIDIONAL
Improvements in Secondary Batteries.
I FRANK KING of 4 Great Winchester Street in the City of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improvement in secondary batteries wherein it is
desired to effectively support a large quantity of active material and to maintain
it in contact with the conducting plate, or grid, or the like.
In those types or classes of secondary batteries wherein the active material
forms a large proportion of the plate or electrode as a whole the practical difficulty
to be overcome has hitherto been the maintenance of the said material in effective
electrical contact with the conducting plate, grid, or the like, so as to render the
energy contained in such material available for use, the repeated expansions and
contractions which the said active material undergoes in working having usually
the effect of breaking the continuity of the electrical and mechanical connection
between the conducting plate grid or the like and the active material.
In a battery constructed according to my invention the conducting plate grid or
the like may be of any suitable form and upon or as part of the said plate grid or
the like, I form a number of webs or ridges to constitute the boundary of the
surfaces of the finished plate or electrode. For example the conducting plate
grid or the like may be say one sixteenth of an inch thick and upon, or as part of
this I cast or form webs or ridges which may conveniently be as much as a quarter
of an inch from the outer edge to the surface of the conducting plate or electrode.
Such an arrangement is provided on each of the two sides of the conducting plate
grid or the like the thickness of the conducting plate or electrode as a whole will
then be say nine-sixteenths of an inch and the effective amount of active material
on or in the plate or electrode would be about seven-eighths of the whole bulk.
I maintain the active material against the conducting plate grid or the like by
means of a perforated or a porous diaphragm or sheet covering or envelope of non-
conducting material or two or more of them the last named material being such as
is not readily attacked by the electrolyte or by the gases evolved or by contact
with the oxides forming part of the active material.
To more effectively ensure the permanence of contact between the active
material and the conducting plate grid or the like I build up the plates or clectrodes
of opposite denomination each into a metallic frame by allowing convenient portions
of the conducting plate grid or the like to protrude from the perforated or porous
retaining sheet covering or envelope or the like, and I burn or solder these
protruding portions to a metal bar or bars, thus fixing the proper distance apart of
the plates or electrodes and between the plates or electrodes and preferably in a
transverse direction to the longitudinal metallic projections on the conducting plate
grid or the like, I place strips of insulating material which are wedged or forced
into position with sufficient firmness to effectually support the perforated or porous
diaphragm or its equivalent, and thus assisting in holding the active material in
direct contact with the conducting plate grid or the like.
The said strips or pieces of insulating material are preferably held in position by
means of pins or the like attached to and projecting from the webs or ridges on the
conducting plate grid or the like and for this purpose the strips or the like are

page_text: channelled or grooved so that the groove or channel accommodates the said
projecting pius or the like.
Dated this 8th day of February 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
I, FRANK KING of 4 Great Winchester Street in the City of London, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in secondary batteries wherein it is desired
to effectively support a large quantity of active material, and to maintain it in
contact with the conducting plate, or grid, or the like.
In those types, or classes, of secondary batteries wherein the active material
forms a large proportion of the plate, or electrode, as a whole, the practical
difficulty to be overcome has hitherto been the maintenance of the said material in
effective electrical contact with the conducting plate, grid, or the like, so as to
render the energy contained in such material available for use the repeated
expansions and contractions which the said active material undergoes in working
having usually the effect of breaking the continuity of the electrical and
mechanical connection between the conducting plate, grid, or the like, and the
active material.
In a battery constructed according to my invention, the conducting plate, grid,
or the like, may be of any suitable form and upon, or as part of, the said plate,
grid, or the like, I form a number of webs, or ridges, to constitute the boundary, or
boundaries, of the surfaces of the finished plate, or electrode, holding the active
material, or material to be rendered active. For example, the conducting plate,
grid, or the like, may be, say, one sixteenth of an inch thick, and upon, or as part
of, this, I cast or form, webs, or ridges, which may conveniently be as much as a
quarter of an inch from the outer edge to the surface of the conducting plate, or
electrode. Such an arrangement is provided on each of the two sides of the
conducting plate, grid, or the like, the thickness of the conducting plate, or
electrode, as a whole will then be say nine-sixteenths of an inch and the effective
amount of active material on, or in, the plate, or electrode, will be about seven-
eighths of the whole bulk.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side view, Figure 2 a vertical section and Figure 3 a transverse
section of a conducting grid a having cast, or formed, with it the webs, or ridges, b,
forming boundaries as herein before described. Pins c are formed on, or cast with,
the grid there being cut away parts 2, in the webs b, to allow the pins to be
bent over as hereinafter mentioned and shewn in Fig. 3 and by dotted lines C²
in Fig. 2.
Figures 4 and 5 are sections at right angles to each other illustrating a battery
provided with the aforesaid grids, and arranged generally according to my
invention.
I maintain the active material against the conducting plate, grid, or the like, a,
by means of a perforated, or a porous, diaphragm, or sheet, covering, or envelope,
of non-conducting material (or two, or more, of them), such as is not readily
attacked by the electrolyte, or by the gases, evolved, or by contact with the oxides
forming part of the active material. In the accompanying drawing I have shewn

page_text: an asbestos sheet d next the active material, and a perforated celluloid sheet
outside that.
To more effectively ensure the permanence of contact between the active material
and the conducting plate, grid, or the like, I build up the plates, or electrodes, of
opposite denomination each into a metallic frame by allowing convenient portions
of the conducting plate, grid, or the like, (as at a²) to protrude from the perforated,
or porous, retaining sheet, covering, or envelope, or the like, and I burn, or solder
these protruding portions to a metal bar, or bars, thus fixing the proper distance
apart of the plates, or electrodes. In the drawing I have shewn a bar above and
below, as shewn at f, with regard to the electrodes of one denomination ;-those of
the other denomination being similarly connected by projections and bars shewn
at a 2 in Figure 4; between the plates, or electrodes, and preferably in a
transverse direction to the longitudinal metallic projections 6, on the conducting
piates, or grids, a, I place strips g, of insulating material which are wedged, or
forced, into position with sufficient firmness to effectually support the perforated,
or porous, diaphragm, such as d, e, and thus assist in holding the active material in
direct contact with the conducting plate, or grid a.
The said strips or pieces of insulating material are preferably held in position
by means of pins c, projecting from the webs, or ridges, b, aforesaid, and for this
purpose the strips q are channelled, or grooved, so that the groove, or channel,
accommodates the said projecting pins. Those of the pins which are not used to
engage the grooves, or channels, in the strips q, are bent over as shewn in the top
right hand corner of Fig. 1 and by dotted lines C2 in Fig. 2. so as to effectually
secure the perforated, and porous, sheets; such as d and e, in position. H H² are
the lugs for the current to, and from, the battery.
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. In, or for, secondary batteries a plate, or electrode, consisting of a conducting
plate, grid, or the like, with webs, or ridges, constituting boundaries for holding
the active material, or material to be rendered active, and with a perforated, or
porous diaphragm, sheet, covering, or envelope, of the character described, (or two,
or more, such sheets, or the like) to further support the active material, or material
to be rendered active; substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In secondary batteries, plates, or electrodes, of each denomination with
protruding portions of the conducting support burnt, or soldered, to a bar and with
insulating strips wedged between the said plates or electrodes and held in position
by pins, or projections, from the grid, or the like, so as to thus fix the distance
apart of the plates, or electrodes, and maintain them in position, and the active
material in position thereon, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. A secondary battery having plates, or electrodes, constructed, and connected
together, to form a battery all substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of September 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.