FRAMES FOR ELECTRODES IN SECONDARY BATTERIES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, FRANK GEERE HOWARD of Cleveland Works, 36 Cleveland Street, London, W.
electrical engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for FRAMES FOR
ELECTRODES IN SECONDARY BATTERIES to be as follows:-
The electrodes or plates employed in secondary batteries as at present constructed
(and especially where the plates are made of compressed lead) are liable to swell,
buckle and fall to pieces in such a way as to render the cell useless. The object of
my invention is to overcome this difficulty, and for this purpose I construct a frame
into which the electrodes or plates may be placed.
I construct my frame in the following manner: I take two pieces of wood some-
what larger in area than the electrodes or plates which are to be used. The sides
of these two pieces I perforate with holes, so as to allow a sufficient circulation of
the electrolyte.
The thickness of these two pieces of wood must vary with the size and weight
of the electrodes that are to be employed, and the strength that may consequently
be necessary.
These two sides are held in position by stretchers dovetailed into their ends, and
so placed that the grooved end-pieces (next hereinafter referred to) may be with-
drawn at pleasure.
I slide end-pieces into grooves cut near each end of these sides. The faces of
these end pieces towards the inside of the frame are grooved. Into the grooves on
these end-pieces I slide wooden partitions; the number of which is varied according
to the number of electrodes or plates to be employed in each cell of the battery.
These partitions are placed at such distances from each other as to allow an electrode
or plate to be inserted between, and held in position by, each pair of partitions.
Each partition is perforated with as many holes (and of such size) as is compatible
with strength, and is grooved on one side. These partitions are so arranged in the
frame that there may alternately be a space between two grooved sides and a space
between two smooth sides. In the spaces between the smooth sides the anodes are
placed, and in the spaces between the grooved sides the cathodes are placed.
The ribs formed by grooving the partitions allow any particles that may become
detached from the electrodes to fall easily to the bottom of the cell, thus preventing
contact or short circuiting between the plates, also permitting the ready escape of
any free gas.

page_text: The partitions and plates should be prevented from touching the bottom of the
box: so as to leave a space into which particles becoming detached from the plates
may fall without inducing contact where it is not desired.
One of the various ways in which this may be done is by making the perforated
sides of the frame project beyond the bottom of the partitions and electrodes to
such a distance as it is desired to keep the bottom of the plates from the bottom
of the box, and inserting slides of wood in grooves cut on the inside of each of the
perforated sides at the required distance from their bottoms. The plates and
partitions will then rest upon the slides of wood.
Another way of preventing the partitions and plates from touching the bottom
of the box containing the electrolyte, is to rest the frame on narrow strips of wood
placed at the bottom of the box.
In order to give greater strength to the whole frame, the stretchers holding the
perforated sides in position may in their turn be held in their places by stretchers
arranged parallel to the perforated sides and dovetailed into the ends of the former
stretchers.
Further strength may be gained by dovetailing stretchers at intervals into the
tops and bottoms of the perforated sides.
For the construction of frames according to my invention, woods best suited to
resist the electrolyte should be selected.
My frame prevents the electrodes or plates from buckling, swelling or disinte-
grating to an extent that may be objectionable; and it makes it possible, with
great facility, to insert or withdraw the plates from the box containing the
electrolyte; and the ready way in which my frame can be taken to pieces and put
together again, renders it an easy matter to examine or replace each plate
composing the cell,
L
T 11001

page_text: I, FRANK GEERE HOWARD of 36 Cleveland Street, London, W. electrical engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for FRAMES FOR ELECTRODES IN
SECONDARY BATTERIES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
:
The electrodes or plates employed in secondary batteries as at present constructed
(and especially where the plates are made of compressed lead) are liable to swell,
buckle, and fall to pieces in such a way as to render the cell useless. The.object
of my invention is to overcome this difficulty, and for this purpose I construct
a frame into which the electrodes or plates may be placed.
1 construct my frame in the following manner: I take two pieces of wood
(hereinafter called "side-pieces") somewhat larger in area than the electrodes or
plates which are to be used. The sides of these two side-pieces (one of which is
represented in Fig 1) I perforate. with holes (a, a) so as to allow a sufficient
circulation of the electrolyte.
The thickness of the two side-pieces must vary with the size and weight of the
electrodes that are to be employed, and the strength that may consequently be
necessary. These two side-pieces are held in position by stretchers (C, C,) dove-
tailed into their ends (A¹) and so placed (Fig II) that the grooved end-pieces (next
hereinafter referred to) may be withdrawn at pleasure.
I slide an end-piece (B) into grooves (b, b,) cut near each end of the side-pieces,
at a position inside the stretchers (C, C,) as shown in Fig III.
The faces of these end-pieces towards the inside of the frame are grooved. Into
the grooves (Fig. VI. d, d,) on these end-pieces I slide wooden partitions, the
number of which is varied according to the number of electrodes or plates to be
employed in each cell of the battery. These partitions (P, P, in Fig III) are
placed at such distances from each other as to allow an electrode or plate to be
inserted between and held in position by each pair of partitions. Each partition
(Fig IV) is grooved (g, g, g,) on one side, and is perforated (e, e, e,) with as many
holes (and of such size) as is compatible with strength. These partitions are so
arranged in the frame that there may alternately be a space between two smooth
sides and a space between two grooved sides. Partitions so arranged are shown in
Fig. III by P, P, P,. In the spaces between the grooved sides the cathodes are
placed; whilst the anodes are placed in the spaces between smooth sides. The ribs
(r,r,r,) formed by grooving the partitions allow any particles that may become
detached from the electrodes to fall easily to the bottom of the cell, thus preventing
contact or short-circuiting between the plates, also permitting the ready escape of
any free gas.
"
The partitions and plates should be prevented from touching the bottom of the
box containing the electrolyte into which the frame is placed; so as to leave a
space into which particles becoming detached from the plates may fall without
inducing contact where it is not desired. One of the various ways in which this
may be done is by making the side-pieces of the frame project beyond the bottom
of the partitions and electrodes to such a distance (and I find one inch a convenient
distance) as it is desired to keep the bottom of the plates from the bottom of the
box, and inserting slides (Fig X. 8,) of wood in grooves cut (one) on the inside of
each of the side-pieces at the required distance from the bottoms. The plates and
partitions will then rest upon the slides of wood, as shown in Fig. II.
Another way of preventing the partitions and plates from touching the bottom
of the box containing the electrolyte is to rest the frame on narrow strips of wood
placed at the bottom of the box.

page_text: In order to give greater strength to the whole frame, the stretchers holding the
side-pieces in position may in their turn be held in their places by stretchers
arranged parallel to the side-pieces, and dovetailed into the ends of the former
stretchers.
Further strength may be gained by dovetailing stretchers at intervals into the
tops and bottoms of the side-pieces.
For the construction of frames according to my. invention, woods best suited to
resist the electrolyte should be selected. I find that teak, greenheart and american
whitewood are well suited for the purpose.
The accompanying drawings will serve to illustrate the mode of performing my
invention, like letters representing like parts:
Fig. I. is a side elevation; A, being the side-piece; a, a, a, the perforations;
C, C, the ends of the stretchers.
Fig. II. is an end elevation; C, C being the stretchers dovetailed into the ends
(A¹, A¹) of the side-pieces projecting beyond (B) the end-piece. "8" shows
the position of the slide supporting the partitions and plates.
Fig. III. is a plan of the frame.
Fig IV a side elevation of a partition, showing r, r, r, the ribs between the
grooves 9, 9, 9; and e, e, e, the perforations.
Fig V is a longitudinal section of a partition.
Fig. VI. is an elevation, and Fig. VII a section, of an end-piece showing the
grooves d, d, d to hold the partitions.
Figs. VIII and IX are respectively a plan and side elevation of a stretcher.
Fig X. represents the details of the bottom, with a slide (s) grooved into the
side-pieces (A, A).
My frame prevents the electrodes or plates from buckling, swelling, or disinte-
grating to an extent that may be objectionable, and it makes it possible, with great
facility to insert or withdraw the plates from the box containing the electrolyte ;
and the ready way in which my frame can be taken to pieces and put together
again, renders it an easy matter to examine or replace each plate composing
the cell.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
(i) Frames for electrodes to be used in secondary batteries constructed substan-
tially as above described.
(ii) The use of ribbed wooden partitions between the plates used in secondary
batteries arranged and constructed substantially as above described.
Dated this 17th day of December 1884.