Improvements in the Construction of Plates for Electrical Accumulators or Storage Batteries.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in the Construction of Plates for Electrical
Accumulators or Storage Batteries.
-
I, ERNEST MÉRIAN, of 25, Rue du Pont-Neuf, Paris, in the French Republic,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows;-
My invention relates to plates for electrical accumulators or storage batteries
and consists in the improvements in and connected with such plates herein-
after set forth, the objects of my invention being to obtain by means of special
construction and manufacture accumulator plates which can receive and will
retain the active material. whatever may be the vibrations encountered and what-
ever may be the variations brought about by the electric current in the specific
gravity and volume of the active material. The grates now in use are made to retain
between a number of uprights of varying thickness the active material which
assumes the form of lozenges tablets or tabloids of various sizes.
Such grates have the defect that they do not allow the active material to be
uniformly oxidized.
It is obvious that the smaller the lozenges or their equivalents, the greater
must be the number of uprights used and as the current passes to a great extent
through these uprights, a portion of the electric energy is absorbed without
useful effect and the co-efficient indicating the efficiency of the accumulator is
greatly diminished. On the other hand, if the lozenges or their equivalents are
large, the current passing through the uprights can only enter these lozenges
tablets or tabloids by the contact lines, and must therefore oxidize these lines
first, but while such oxidation is proceeding the active material ceases gradually
to be a good conductor, the current reaches the centre thereof only in a very
enfeebled state and its utility is thereby greatly impaired, whence results that
only very feeble currents can be used to form and charge these accumulators.
The conditions necessary for a maximum effect of the electric energy used for
the chemical conversion of plumbic salts would be fulfilled, if on the one hand,
each unit of the conductor's surface conveying the current caused the same
quantity of current to flow through each unit of area of active material and if
on the other hand, the surface of the portions of the conductor. which are not
covered by active material were reduced to a minimum.
Theoretically these conditions would be fulfilled if the active paste was spread
upon a leaden plate, as the current passing through the support would traverse
each point of the active material in a uniform manner, but the difficulties to be
overcane were hitherto too great for such a result to have been obtained in
practice.
The object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties by an improved
formation of the oxide retaining frames of the plates.

page_text: According to my invention each accumulator plate preferably consists of a
frame made. in two parts which frame may be considered as a combination of
two collectors with an outlet and cross connections. The two collectors form
strips extending along the opposite edges of the plate and from these extend
at right angles thereto other strips or their equivalents alternately from the right
and left collector towards the opposite one, but without being joined thereto,
and guided at their free ends by little projections on the opposite collector. The
two collectors with their strips or their equivalents thus form each a kind of
comb with broad straight or curved teeth, the teeth of one entering between the
teeth of the other. Between each of these adjacent strips or teeth there is a
small space which allows the electrolytic liquid to pass through, and when the
plate is charged or discharged, allows each strip to expand and contract freely
or independently of the adjacent strip, such movement depending upon the
intensity of the current or upon other causes.
To retain the active material in contact with these plates or collectors and
with the strips, I form a raised edging or rib along the said collectors and strips
which edging is made as thin as practicable and with a dovetail shaped section,
the edging being connected at intervals by similar cross ribs. I use as small a
number of such ribs or edgings as possible so as not to uselessly consume the
current employed for decomposing the electrolytic liquid but to utilize it for
oxidising purposes. To lighten the weight of the plates and to connect the
active material placed on one side thereof with that on the other side, and impart
solidity thereto, I form a suitable number of openings in the web of the plate,
so that the electro-chemical action may take place equally along the edges as well
as in contact with the surfaces. The more thorough this action is the more
effective will be the plate.
It is not necessary that the collectors and strips hereinbefore described should
be of uniform width or have rectilinear outlines, but they may vary in width
in different parts and have curved outlines, the essential feature of my inven-
tion being that the plate is composed of two collectors with lateral extensions
fitting one into the other with small clearances between them allowing of their
movement by expansion or from other causes independently of each other.
The plate herein before described is manufactured in the following manner:-
I form a mould of the shape, size and thickness of the whole collector and
strips and active material. I then form cores corresponding in shape and size
to the different tablets or their equivalents formed by the active material when
placed in or on the plate. These cores may be formed of any suitable plastic
material capable of supporting the temperature of fused lead and of being dis-
integrated in water or other liquid having no chemical action on lead, such as
clay, moulding loam or sand and the like. I place these cores in the mould
into their respective places and complete the mould in the way usual for lead
founding, and then run the metal into it. When the metal has cooled, I place
the plates into the liquid suitable for dissolving the cores, so that the latter can
be readily separated and removed by washings or otherwise. I thus obtain the
collectors with their perforated webs and raised dove-tailed edges suitable for
receiving and retaining the active material or other material which may be applied
thereto.
The improved accumulator plates produced as hereinbefore described may be
made of any suitable shape and dimensions.

page_text: Improvements in the Construction of Plates for Electrical
Accumulators or Storage Batteries.
I, ERNEST MÉRIAN, of 25, Rue du Pont-Neuf, Paris, in the French Republic,
Manufacturer, 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:-
My invention relates to plates for electrical accumulators or storage batteries
and consists in the improvements in and connected with such plates herein-
after set forth, the objects of my invention being to obtain by means of special
construction and manufacture accumulator plates which can receive and will
retain the active material whatever may be the vibrations encountered and whatever
may be the variations brought about by the electric current in the specific gravity
and volume of the active material. The grates now in use are made to retain
between a number of uprights of varying thickness the active material which
assumes the form of lozenges, tablets or tabloids of various sizes.
Such grates have the defect that they do not allow the active material to be
uniformly oxidized.
It is obvious that the smaller the lozenges or their equivalents, the greater
must be the number of uprights used and as the current passes to a great extent
through these uprights, a portion of the electric energy is absorbed without
useful effect and the co-efficient indicating the efficiency of the accumulator is
greatly diminished. On the other hand, if the lozenges or their equivalents are
large, the current passing through the uprights can only enter these lozenges
tablets or tabloids by the contact lines, and must therefore oxidize these lines
first, but while such oxidation is proceeding the active material ceases gradually
to be a good conductor, the current reaches the centre thereof only in a very
enfeebled state and its utility is thereby greatly impaired, whence results that
only very feeble currents can be used to form and charge these accumulators.
The conditions necessary for a maximum effect of the electric energy used for
the chemical conversion of plumbic salts would be fulfilled, if on the one hand,
each unit of the conductor's surface conveying the current caused the same
quantity of current to flow through each unit of area of active material and if
on the other hand, the surface of the portions of the conductor which are not
covered by active material were reduced to a minimum.
Theoretically these conditions would be fulfilled if the active paste was spread
upon a leaden plate, as the current passing through the support would traverse
each point of the active material in a uniform manner, but the difficulties to be
overcome were hitherto too great for such a result to have been obtained in
practice.
The object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties by an improved
formation of the oxide retaining frames of the plates.
On the drawing appended hereunto Figure 1 shows a view of my improved
plate, Figure 2, a section along line 1-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3, a section along
line 3-4 of Figure 1.
According to my invention each accumulator plate preferably consists of a
frame a a, a al made in two part which frame may be considered as a combina-
tion of two collectors a a and a¹ a¹ with an outlet and cross connections. The
wo collectors form strips extending along the opposite edges of the plate and
from these extend for instance at right angles thereto other strips and b¹ or
heir equivalent alternately from the right and left collector towards the opposite
one, but without being joined thereto, and guided at their free ends by little

page_text: projections c c or their equivalent on the opposite collector or on the end of the
strip. The two collectors with their strips or their equivalents thus form each a
kind of comb with broad straight or curved teeth, the teeth of one entering
between the teeth of the other. Between each of these adjacent strips or teeth.
there is a small space which allows the electrolytic liquid to pass through, and
when the plate is charged or discharged, allows each strip to expand and contract
freely or independently of the adjacent strip, such movement depending upon the
intensity of the current or upon other causes. The two collectors are connected
ath by soldering or other suitable means. There may be more than two
collectors or sections with strips or teeth engaging one into the interstices of the
other.
To retain the active material in contact with these plates or collectors and
with the strips, I form a raised edging or rib along the said collectors and
strips which edging is made as thin as practicable and with a dovetail shaped
section, the edging being connected at intervals by similar cross ribs . I use
as small a number of such ribs or edgings as possible so as not to uselessly
consume the current employed for decomposing the electrolytic liquid but to
utilize it for oxidising purposes. To lighten the weight of the plates and to
connect the active material placed on one side thereof with that on the other
side, and impart solidity thereto, I form a suitable number of openings f in the
web of the plate, so that the electro-chemical action may take place equally
along the edges as well as in contact with the surfaces. The more thorough
this action is the more effective will be the plate.
: It is not necessary that the collectors and strips hereinbefore described should
be of uniform width or have rectilinear outlines, but they may vary in width
in different parts and have curved outlines, the essential feature of my inven-
tion being that the plate is composed of two collectors with lateral extensions
fitting one into the other with small clearances between them allowing of their
movement by expansion or from other causes independent of each other.
The plate hereinbefore described may be manufactured in the following manner:
I form a mould of the shape, size and thickness of the whole collector and
strips and active material. I then form cores corresponding in shape and size
to the different tablets or their equivalents formed by the active material when
placed in cr on the plate These cores may be formed of any suitable plastic
material capable of supporting the temperature of fused lead and of being dis-
integrated in water or other liquid having no chemical action on lead such as
clay, moulding loam or sand and the like. I place these cores in the mould
into their respective places and complete the mould in the way usual for lead
founding, and then run the metal into it. When the metal has cooled, I place
the plates into the liquid suitable for dissolving the cores, so that the latter can
be readily separated and removed by washings or otherwise. I thus obtain the
collectors with their perforated webs and raised dve-tailed edges suitable for
receiving and retaining the active material or other material which may be applied
thereto.
The collectors may be manufactured by any other suitable means.
The improved accumulator plates produced as hereinbefore described may be
made of any suitable shape and dimensions.
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:
1. The manufacture or formation of an accumulator plate of two or more
collectors or sections each formed with strips or teeth extending into spaces
between the strips on another collector or section in such a manner that said
strips or teeth can expand and contract freely and that narrow open spaces are
left between adjacent strips or teeth for the percolation of the electrolytic liquid
substantially as hereinbefore described.

page_text: 2. In accumulator plates of the kind claimed in the preceding claim, the forma-
tion of the collectors and strips or teeth with raised edgings of dovetail section
in combination with opnings in the web of the plates substantially as and for
the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
3. The mode of making the collectors or sections of the accumulator plates
claimed in the preceding claims by means of a mould and of cores formed of a
plastic material that can be dissolved in a liquid having no action in the plate
substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The manufacture and use of accumulator plates arranged, constructed and
operating as hereinbefore described.
Dated
the 4th day of December 1898.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester,
Harrington Chambers, 24, North John Street, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent.