Improvements in or connected with Acoumulators or Secondary Batteries.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Dec., 1891-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Acoumulators or Secondary
Batteries.
I, HENRY Hauser of Villanueva 12 Madrid in the Kingdom of Spain, Mining
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In many secondary batteries, such as those of Faure-Sellon-Volckmar, Gadot,
Julien, and others, the plates, consist of vertical lead grids, filled with oxides of
lead or other materials. With plates so formed, the pellets of the oxides easily.
fall out of place and make short circuits, while the buckling of the plates, is of
frequent occurrence and may cause short circuits between two adjoining plates.
The principal object of this invention is to construct accumulators in which the
active material cannot fall off from the plates and in which the buckling of the
same, if it happens, will be harmless.
According to my invention; every plate or electrode is composed of several
horizontal honey-combed plates, made of a suitable metal or alloy. The holes in
the most suitable shape, are open only to the upper side and are filled with the
active material of the desired kind. These honey-combed plates are connected up.
by a frame of a suitable metal or alloy; the compound plate so formed being some-
what similar to a book-case. Stay-bolts may be provided between every two
adjoining horizontal plates while the frame connecting the horizontal plates may be
undulated or not.
I can apply my invention to the common grid plates, by making, for instance,
the holes of the same of a funnel or similar form, and putting a flange along the
edge of the plate. An electrode may be made by connecting up some of these
plates.
Dated the 31st day of August 1891
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Applicant's Agont.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Accumulators or Secondary
Batteries.
I, HENRY HAUSER of Villanueva 12, Madrid in the Kingdom of Spain, Mining
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 :-
In many secondary batteries, such as those of Faure-Sellon-Volckmar, Gadot,
Julien, and others, the plates consist of vertical lead grids filled with oxides of 'lend
or other materials. With plates so formed the pellets of the oxides easily fall out
of place and make short circuits, while the buckling of the plates is of frequent
occurrence, and may cause short circuits between two adjoining plates.
The principal object of this invention is to construct accumulators in which the
active material cannot fall off from the plates, and in which the buckling of the
same, if it happens, will be harmless.
To clearly explain my invention I will describe it with reference to the accom-
panying drawings.
According to my invention every plate or electrode is composed of several
horizontal cell or honey-combed plates P made of a suitable metal or alloy. The
holes are open only to the upper side, and are filled with the active material R.

page_text: 66
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Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are plan views of several forms of plates. All these
honey-combed plates are connected up by a frame of a suitable metal or alloy, the
compound plate so formed being somewhat similar to a book-case. One of the
vertical sides of the frame is longer than the other and serves to fix a terminal to
it. Figures 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 show in elevation and
cross-sections several " 'compound plates," the details of which are hereafter
explained.
It will be seen that the horizontal plates so made will have a less resistance to
bending upwards or downwards than sideways, so that if it bends or "sags," a plate
will only touch another of the same electrode, and so short circuits will be avoided.
Further, it will always be difficult for any plate to bend as by reason of its con-
nection with the other horizontal plates it must overcome their resistance before
bending itself.
For the purpose of facilitating the fitting up of the "compound_plates "_each
plate has a tenon E on each end for the purpose of fixing it in the frame. These
tenons are by preference dove-tailed, as illustrated, so that they may be caught
by the frame at the time of casting it. If the metallic material employed in the
manufacture of the plates be flexible, theso tenons can be bent and rivetted or
welded to the frame, as illustrated in Figures 9 and 10.
In shaping the plates the thickness of the walls of the holes may increase
gradually from the top to the bottom in order to facilitate unmoulding after the
casting operation, or these walls can be of uniforin thickness as shown in the
drawings. The bottom of the plates can be flat, as shown in Figure 11, which is a
section of the plate shown in Figures 3, 7 and 8, the section being taken on the
line A B of Figure 3. The left hand side of. Figure 7 is an elevation of the plate
shown in Figures 3, 8 and 11, Figure 8 showing an end view of the same plate.
The right hand side of Figure 7 is a section on line C D of the plate shown in
Figures 3, 8 and 11.
In order to allow the free outlet of the gas generated under the plates I prefer to
make the same with double inclined or curved bottoms as shown in cross section in
Figures 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 19, which are examples of sections of different forms
of plates. The outside of the bottom may be formed either by a curved surface,
(the inner surface being of the same shape as in Figure 12, or not as in Figure 13,)
or by double iuclines, (the inner surface being of the same shape as in Figures 14
and 15, or not as in Figure 16,) that is to say, the bottoms need not necessarily
be uniformly thick. Figures 14 and 15. are cross-sections of the plates shown in
Figures 3, 17 and 18, and 4, 17 and 18, the sections being taken on the line A B
of Figures 3 and 4. The left hand side of Figure 17 shows a side view of the
plates shown in Figures 3, 14 and 18, and 4, 15 and 18, Figure 18 being an
end view of either plate. The right hand side of Figure 17 is a section on the
line CD of the plates shown in Figures 3, 14 and 18, and 4, 15 and 18.
In order to obtain as many plates as possible in one frame I may make the upper
face of the plates gutter-shaped, the angles being such however that a convenient
space is left between the edges of the plates, so as to allow the liquid to come into
contact with the active material R therein.
Figure 19 shows a cross-section of two superposed plates so constructed.
It is advisable that the distance between the lower edge of a plate and the upper
edge of the contiguous one should always be less than the diameter of the smallest.
of the pellets of the active material R so as to prevent any loose ones jumping out
if the accumulator gets a jerk. In order to secure the contact of the active material
with its support, it is convenient to burr the edges of the partitions. The details
of the building of the "compound plates" will vary according as they are to be
employed in accumulators for stationary work, or in portable accumulators.
If the plates are intended for accumulators of the stationary type where it is not
a matter of weight, the frame is composed of four pieces; two, vertical B, C,.
(Figs. 20 and 21) connecting up the horizontal plates P in the manner above
described, and two horizontal pieces D, F, connecting the two vertical ones, and

page_text: fixed to them in the same manner as the horizontal plates. The horizontal pieces
are intended to give more strength to the plates, and in addition the lower piece F
supports the weight of the "compound plate" upon the insulating rods A placed on
the bottom of the vessel. Figure 20 is an elevation, and Figure 21 a cross-section
of a plate constructed as above described.
In the portable type the upper horizontal piece of the frame, or both horizontal
pieces, may be omitted, and for the purpose of distributing the whole weight of the
compound plate" over all its component plates, some stay pieces K (Figs. 22
and 23) are provided between every two adjoining plates. When these stay pieces
are metallic they are cast as a prolongation of the crossing piece of two partitions of
a plate and may be welded to the contiguous one.
Figure 22 is an elevation and Figure 23 a cross-section of a "compound plate"
built in this manner. Blocks V (Figs. 24 and 25) made of glass, porcelain, or any
other light material, unattackable to the acids, will give the same result. Figure 24
is an elevation, and Figure 25 a cross-section of a "compound plate" built in this
manner.
The same result can be attained although the rapidity of circulation of the liquid
will be diminished by putting the horizontal plates P in contact as shown in
Figures 26 and 27, in which case the plates must necessarily have an inclined
bottom. Figure 26 is an elevation and Figure 27 a cross-section of a "compound
plate 80 built.
"
The compound plates can be also supported by the two vertical pieces by
prolonging the same below the level of its lowest horizontal plate. In order
to insulate the plates from the bottom of the vessel, the lower end of the
vertical pieces may be covered by a cap of any suitable insulating material Has
shown in Figure 28, such as glass guttapercha, ebonite, celluloid, or the like. The
vertical pieces can bear also upon a flat rod M M of insulating material as shown
in Figure 29.
To stiffen the frame the pieces of same may be of U or other suitable section.
The honey-combed plates forming the positive and negative electrodes may have
the holes of the same shape or not, but generally I prefer to make the positive
plates with a greater number of holes than the negative.
An accumulator is formed by placing several of the "compound plates" parallel
to each other in a vertical position in a vessel as in the ordinary accumulators.
The odd "compound plates are, for instance, negatives, and the even ones
positives, the "compound plates" of the same polarity being connected by means
of a metallic strip welded or soldered to the upper end of the longer vertical
piece C of the frame. As the number of the odd "compound plates" exceeds by
one that of the even "compound plates" in order not to increase uselessly the
weight of the accumulator, I make the first and last odd "compound plate" of half
the thickness of the other odd plates. Each "compound plate" is spaced apart
from the contiguous one. by a strip of indiarubber, ebonite, glass or in any other
usual way, and may be held together by means of an indiarubber strip or in any
other way.
I can apply my invention to the common grid plates by making, for instance, the
holes of the same of funnel form and putting a flange along the edge of the plates P
as shown in Figure 30. An electrode may be made by connecting up by a frame
some of these plates. When the active materials R employed in these accumu
lators are oxides of lead or any other of its chemical compounds, the honey-combed
plates and its frame are made preferably of an alloy composed of 95 % of lead
and 5% of antimony.
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 secondary batteries or accumulators the employment of cell or honey-comb

page_text: plates constructed substantially as described and illustrated in Sheet 1 of the
drawings.
2. In secondary batteries or accumulators the employment of the compound
plates constructed substantially as described and illustrated in Sheet 2 of the
drawings.
3. In secondary batteries or accumulators the employment of a compound grid
plate constructed substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 30 of the
drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1891.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Applicant's Agent.