IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY BATTERIES
Year: 1881

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for an
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY BATTERIES." A communication
from abroad by the Société Universelle d'Electricité Tommasi, of Paris, in the
Republic of France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th June 1881.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY
BATTERIES." [A communication from abroad by the Société Universelle
d'Electricité Tommasi, of Paris, in the Republic of France.]
It has been found by experience that the quantity of electricity accumulated in
a secondary battery depends upon the amount of surface attacked by the current
and the thickness of the layer of peroxide formed. Further, the prompt charging
of the secondary element depends on the greater or less facility with which the
metal is attacked and rendered spongy.
Now the object of this Invention is to produce a simple and effective secondary
battery in which the above mentioned conditions will be realised.
To this end a sheet of lead, of about two millimetres thick and of any suitable
height and length, is provided with shelves of about the same thickness and set at
an angle.
These shelves are about 35 millimetres wide and the same length as the sheet
of lead, and they should be arranged about 5 millimetres apart.
Two of these sets of shelves are placed in a vulcanite box about 1 centimetre
apart.
The spaces between the shelves are filled with lead foil of about 1/10th millimetre
thick, and the vulcanite box is filled will acidulated water.
By thus arranging the battery there is an immense amount of surface exposed
to attack, and the metal, which is almost in a spongy state before being placed in
ID.cz

page_text: the vessel, dissolves freely. The inclination of the shelves also prevents the
peroxide formed from falling to the bottom of the box.
As a modification of the above arrangement the lead foil is dispensed with, and
the shelves are placed about 2 millimetres apart.
The sets of shelves are made from an alloy of lead and tin, and each set is
afterwards treated to extract the tin, thus leaving a porous metal.
This treatment consists in placing each piece separately in connection with the
positive pole of a battery and immersing it in a bath of acidulated water; on
causing an electric current to pass through, the tin will be decomposed.
The spaces between the shelves are then filled either with fine lead filings, or
better still with lead precipitated from one of its salts by iron, zinc, or copper.
By this mode of treatment the lead is obtained in a finely divided and permeable
condition.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd December 1881.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY
BATTERIES." A communication from abroad by the Société Universelle
d'Electricité Tommasi, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
It has been found by experience that the amount of electricity accumulated in
a secondary battery depends upon the extent of surface attacked by the current
and the thickness of the layer of peroxyde formed. Further, the prompt charging
of the secondary element depends upon the facility with which the metal is
attacked and rendered spongy.
Now the object of this Invention is to produce a secondary battery in which the
above mentioned conditions will be realized.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a cross section of a secondary battery
constructed according to this Invention, and taken on the line C, D, of Fig. 2, and
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same taken on the line A, B, Fig. 1.
A, A', is a pair of flanged lead plates of about two millimetres in thickness, cast
with a series of shelves b, b¹, of corresponding thickness inclining upwards.
The shelves are arranged about fivo millimetres apart, and the angle at which
they are set will be from thirty to forty degrees.
These flanged plates A, A¹, are placed opposite one another about one centi-
metro apart in a vulcanite or other suitable vessel c.
The spaces between the shelves are filled with sheets of lead foil of about one-
tenth of a millimetre in thickness.
These sheets of lead foil may be placed regularly in the spaces, as indicated at d,
Fig. 1, or irregularly, as indicated at d in the same Figure.
The vessel c is filled with water, acidulated with sulphuric acid in the proportion
of one to ten (1/10), and the battery is then charged like an ordinary Plante
battery.
Owing to the extreme thinness of the lead foil carried by the shelves b, b, b,
and b', ', b¹, the extent of surface to be chemically attacked is very great, and
the metal, which before being placed in the spaces is almost equal to spongy lead,
dissolves freely. The inclination of the shelves prevents the peroxyde, which
is formed under the action of the electric current, falling to the bottom of the
vessel c.
As a modification of the above arrangement of secondary battery the lead foil
is dispensed with, and the plates A, A¹, with their shelves b, b, b', b', are made of
an alloy of lead and tin. In this case the shelves are arranged closer together,
vis., about two millimetres apart instead of five.
The plates are severally treated to extract the tin from the alloy and leave the
metal porous. This treatment consists in placing each plate in connection with
the positive pole of a battery, and immersing it in a bath of water acidulated
with sulphuric acid in the proportion of one to ten (1/10), and passing an electric
current through the bath.
All the tin will thus be dissolved out, and there will remain a spongy metal
which constitutes the best secondary element, and one capable of being rapidly
charged.
The spaces between the shelves b, b, 61, 61, of the two plates A, A1, are filled with
pure lead filings or with lead precipitated from one of its salts by iron, zinc, or
copper. This preparation, which is known to chemists under the name
of

page_text: "Saturn's. tree," presents the metal in the most finely divided and permeable
condition possible.
As a further modification, and in order to simplify the construction of the
battery and obtain a still greater extent of useful surface, the shelves may be
dispensed with, the sheets of lead foil (say one-fifth millimetre in thickness) being
retained.
The sheet lead is cut into strips of suitable width and length, and the strips are
piled one upon another on the lower flange of the plates until the required height
is obtained. The pile of strips is then soldered to its supporting plate, which may
be better described as a frame, the vertical wall of the plate as well as the shelves
being in this case dispensed with. The depth and breadth of the frame will
correspond with the width and length of the strips.
This arrangement is shewn in Figures 3, 4, and 5, Fig. 3 being a longitudinal
section of a battery fitted according to the modification; Fig. 4, a cross section on
the line A, B, of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5, a sectional plan on the line C, D, of Fig. 3.
Two of these frames A2 containing strips d are placed in a vulcanite or other
suitable vessel c, about one centimetre apart, and each frame rests on a block of
vulcanite, wood, or other suitable material e, also placed about one centimetre
apart.
The object of leaving this space is that any thing falling from either pole may
accumulate therein without placing the two poles in communication.
As before stated, each strip is soldered to the frame A2; but in addition the
strips may be soldered at one, two, or more points in their length to bands f.
As will be seen from the Drawing it is preferred that the ends of each strip shall
be turned back, so that the one above may rest thereon, and this will leave a
small space between each strip into which the exciting agent may freely enter.
Having now described this Invention of <<
Improvements in Secondary
Batteries"
as communicated to me from abroad, and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First. The use in secondary batteries of plates constructed in the manner herein
shewn and described, and for the purpose set forth.
Second. The use in secondary batteries of lead foil arranged in piles or otherwise,
as above described.
Third. The manufacture of plates for secondary batteries from an alloy of lead
and tin, as and for the purpose set forth.
Fourth. The use in secondary batteries of finely divided lead obtained by
precipitation from salts of lead, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Edward Newton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty second day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.