IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY ELECTRIC BATTERIES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Johnson at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th May 1881. A communication from
abroad by La Société "La Force et la Lumière," Société Générale d'Electricite,
of Brussells, in the Kingdom of Belgium.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY ELECTRIC BATTERIES." A communi-
cation from abroad by La Société "La Force et la Lumière," Société Générale
d'Electricite, of Brussells, in the Kingdom of Belgium.
This Invention relates to improvements in what are known as secondary electric
batteries, the same consisting of apparatus for storing up electricity.
One of the essential features in the secondary electric batteries, known as Faure's
batteries, consists in retaining the products of the process of electrolysis against
the sides of the electrodes, which arrangement admits of an unlimited quantity of
electro-chemical energy accumulating upon the said electrodes.
In the Provisional Specification accompanying an application for Letters Patent
made by me dated the 11th January 1881, No. 129, for an Invention communicated
to me from abroad by Camille Faure, various modes are described of partitioning or
arranging the electrodes with this object, and the present Invention relates to
improvements in this part of the said secondary batteries.
In carrying out this Invention, a porous vessel is employed, such as is described
in the Provisional Specification accompanying an application for Letters Patent
made by me, dated the 13th April 1881, No. 1630, for an Invention communicated
to me from abroad by Nicolas Emile Reynier, the said porous vessel being formed
by folding a sheet of felt, flannel, or other material, proof against the action of the
liquids employed in the secondary couple, in four folds or in any suitable number
of radiating folds.
In each compartment of this porous vessel there is placed a plate of lead, zinc, or
other suitable inetal capable of forming a negative electrode. On the exterior of
the porous vessel and facing the internal plates there are arranged other plates of
lead, carbon, platinum, or other suitable metal capable of acting as a positive
electrode, and the whole is placed in a vessel containing acidulated water.
All the internal plates are electrically connected and their combination constitutes
the negative electrode, whilst the external plates being similarly connected together
form the corresponding positive electrode. The element or couple being thus
mounted it is necessary to perform the operation termed "forming." In certain

page_text: cases it may be advantageous to amalgamate the lead plates before submitting them
to the action of the current employed in this operation.
"
In order to "form these secondary couples the processes adopted in preparing
the Faure batteries may be employed, or even those used in the preparation of
what are known as Plantes' batteries. In either case the products of the electrolysis
(reduced lead on the one hand, and peroxidised lead on the other hand) will be
retained against the electrodes, especially if care is taken to place the latter in
close contact with the porous vessel both internally and externally.
According to another arrangement, which is even preferable to the one
hereinbefore described, the external plates are placed in the compartments of a
second porous vessel, similar to the first, the two vessels being interlocked as
described in the Provisional Specification to my said former application, dated the
13th April 1881, No. 1630.
Moreover all the arrangements and action of the porous vessel described in this
Provisional Specification may be applied to secondary batteries.
These porous
vessel, when applied with suitable pressure against the electrodes of secondary
batteries constitute true impermeable partitions, and the impermeability of these
vessels enables them to be applied to the construction of secondary couples with
two or three liquids.
In secondary batteries, it is important that the electrodes used] should present an
extensive surface. This result is obtained by the employment as electrodes of
ropes or cords formed of fine wire of suitable metal, such as lead or zinc, for
example. Two pounds of lead or zinc when drawn out in the form of wire of
about one fiftieth of an inch, in diameter, for example, presents a considerable
amount of surface. These leaden wires when twisted into ropes of a certain
number of strands constitute electrodes, presenting an extensive surface, all the
strands or wires of which communicate individually at the free extremities.
The partitions of an electrode of this description are constituted either by a
gimp of woollen thread or other material, proof against the action of the liquids of
the secondary couple, or by a tape or ribbon of cloth, felt, flannel, and the like,
wound helically round the rope and attached thereto at suitable intervals.
Two ropes prepared as herein before described, and constituting respectively the
electrodes of the couple are coiled or twisted together in the form of a helix or in
a zig zag or other suitable form, and immersed in a vessel containing a suitable
liquid, used, for example, as acidulated water.
In order to diminish the electrical resistance of these couples, it is desirable to
cause the two extremities of each rope to protrude and to make the contact with
each electrode upon those two extremities joined together.
If it is desired to employ the processes adopted by Mr. Faure for forming these
electrodes, the latter should be covered with the substances to be submitted to
electrolysis before the gimping or covering with tape or ribbon is performed.
It is evident that the two parts of the Invention, herein before described, may be
applied simultaneously, electrodes partitioned by means of vessels, such as are
described in the Provisional Specification secondly herein before referred to, for
example, being combined with an electrode in the form of a rope gimped or covered
with tape or ribbon.
: According to another arrangement the electrodes in the rope form, herein before
described, are doubled or folded together in the same plane so as to constitute a
flat body or plate presenting an extensive surface, and which admits of being
'partitioned off by means of the vessels described in the Provisional Specification
secondly herein before referred to, or by other suitable means.