Improvements in Moulding Plates for Electric Accumulators.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th N v., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 12th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 4th Oct.,
1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by LA SOCIÉTÉ JAOQUET FRÈRES, of Vernon, France,
Constructors.]
Improvements in Moulding Plates for Electric Accumulators.
I, ERNEST DE PASS, of 68 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
At present it is usual to mould plates for electric accumulators in halves, and after
receiving the active materials within the hollows or cells formed in such plates they
are secured together to form a single plate. When securing these plates together they
are liable to be deformed or injured, and when in use they tend to greatly diminish
the efficiency of the accumulator.
Now, according to this invention, plates may be produced in one piece, the thickness
of which may be considerably reduced and yet sufficient stability be obtained to
ensure them retaining their shape. Thus the minimum weight of metal forming
the plates can be attained, the weight of the active material with which the cells are
supplied can be increased, and the yield of the accumulators be proportionately
greater.
The mould is formed wholly of metal and consists of two frames hinged together,
and which are capable of adjustment, so as to increase or diminish at will the thickness
of the plate to be produced. Each frame carries a thin metal border frame which,
when the mould is closed, abut the one against the other and so form the thickness
and outer contour of the plate to be moulded. Fitting into each of the hinged frames
is a core-holding piece whose inner face is provided with a series of projections or
cores, each projection or core representing the shape of one half of the hollows or
cells to be formed in the accumulator plate. When these two core-holding pieces are
in place the projections or cores of one of these pieces interlock with the projections
or cores of the other, and so form the hollows or cells in the plate being moulded.
The shape of the projections or cores is such that the walls of the hollows or cells they
produce are of a V section which aids in firmly retaining the active materials in place
therein. The contact surfaces of the projections or cores are parallel to the planes in
which the coro-holding pieces move, each of such planes being parallel to one of the
sides of the inner edges of the thin metal border frames. The core-holding pieces are
When the core
separated by means of screws, or by any other suitable means.
holding pieces are removed the moulded plate remains held between the V shaped
inner edges of the two thin metal border frames from which it may be removed by
opening the mould.
It will be evident that the above arrangement may be modified without departing
from the nature of the invention. For instance, the thin metal border frames may
be replaced by thicker metal perforated sheets whose perforations are formed to permit
of the projections or cores on the core-holding piecos passing through the same. By
this means, when the core-holding pieces are separated the moulded plate will remain
firmly held between the perforated plates and its removal without injury is thus further
insured.
Dated this 12th day of November 1889.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Moulding Plates for Electric Accumulators.
I, ERNEST DE PASS, formerly of 68 Fleet Street, but now of 78, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 state-
ment, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures
marked thereon, that is to say :-
This invention relates principally to a process for moulding electric accumulator
plates pierced by openings or cells separated by slender partitions the transverse
section of which is formed with twin inner bevelled sides, so that these cells present
throughout their inner configuration V-shaped re-ontering lateral faces. They have for
their object to receive and firmly retain the active materials with which the plates are
supplied.
Plates of this kind are generally made in two parts, cach representing one half of
the plate cut in two, along its thickness. The entire plate is formed by the union of
these two plates coupled up, but the half partitions simply applied the one to the
other to form the complete partitions of the cells, become separated under the action
of the increase of volume or abundance of the active materials with which they are
supplied.
Hence there results deformations injurious to good working, likewise to the
duration, and to the yield of the accumulators. Besides it is evident that a plate
cast in a single piece will present a much greater resistance to deformation and
to warping; or, in other words, the casting in a single piece will permit of a
diminution in thickness while retaining the desired solidity.
Now by means of this invention the minimum of weight of metal constituting the
plates can be attained, the weight of the active materials with which the cells are
supplied can be increased proportionately, and the yield of the accumulators per
kilogramme of plate, greatly increased.
The mould, which is wholly of metal, consists of two frames A, B, (Fig. 2) connected
together by a hinge and bolts, and provided with any suitable means for producing
the required thickness of plate. On each frame is fixed a metal plate of a thickness
equal to half that of the plate to be produced. The inner space or hollow of these
two metal plates a and b represents exactly the outer contour of the plates to
bo cast.
Two core holding pieces C and D are carried by and slide in the frames A and B
at an angle to the plane of contact of the two metal plates a, b. Each of these two
core holding pieces C and D carries on its surface a series of projections or half cores
representing exactly one half of the opening of one cell to be formed in the
accumulator plate. After the locking together of the two core holding pieces, each
half core comes, according to an inclined surface S Figs. 1, 2 and 3, into contact with
the corresponding half of the other piece, and their union constitutes a complete core
for each cell.
The contact surfaces S of the two corresponding half cores are parallel to the plane
of sliding of the pieces O and D, which is itself parallel to the angle of intersection of
the faces m², n', which are symmetrical with the faces m, n, relatively to the plane of
the metal plates. Hence it is the direction of this angle with the mouth of the circum-
ference of the cells which determines that of the plane of sliding and of the plane of
separation of the half cores.
Fig. 1 shows the mould open, the parts B, D, and the metal plate 6 having been
removed so as to allow the face of the sheet to be seen, as well as the half cores
fixed to C.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the whole arrangement taken on the line v, x, y, z
of Ria 1

page_text: Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the pieces C and D separated and the cast plate
suspended in the hollow of the metal plates a and b.
To facilitate the withdrawal of the cores from the mould the angle of the sliding
surfaces of C and D with the median plane or plane of contact of the metal
plates a, b, may be a little less than the determined angle, previously stated,
by the inclination of the angle of intersection of the faces m³, n², in the same median
plane.
Thus it will be seen that after the casting of the metal, each of the two halves of
the complete core will come out without any hindrance, because the direction
of sliding is parallel to each of the two faces m³, n¹, since it is parallel to their
intersection.
In working, the sharp angles of the cores at k, k, k, are removed to give greater
solidity to the cast material at this part, so that each cell presents really two
small facets JJ without interior taper perpendicular to the plane of the faces of
the plate.
The pieces and D are caused to separate by the aid of screws V, V₁, or by any
other suitable means. The cast plate is finally removed from the mould after the
opening of the frames A and B.
It is evident that, without departing from the principle of the invention, the above
mentioned arrangement may be varied in many ways.
Fig. 4 shows a modification which is more particularly suitable for the casting of
large plates.
The metal plates a and b are replaced by thicker plates g, h, which guide the
pieces C¹ D' in the same manner that A and B guide the piecos C and D in the
preceding arrangement. The half cores form part of the pieces C³, D'. After the
withdrawal of these pieces, the cast plate will remain completely imprisoned by the
whole of its metallic surface between the plates g, h, and therefore cannot
undergo any deformation during its removal from the mould. As previously
stated, the cast plate will come out of the mould after the two frames A¹, B¹, have been
opened.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 claim, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents :
1. The process of moulding by dividing the core of the cells, whose transverse
section is formed with twin inner bevelled sides, into two parts separated by a sliding
surface determined substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
2. The mode of mounting of the half cores on two separate and independent pieces
capable of being displaced in opposite directions according to a sliding surface
determined as hereinbefore specified, and which leave, on the withdrawal of the cores,
the cast plate confined all around its periphery, substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated thin 19th
A 1000