IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FINELY DIVIDED LEAD, LEAD ALLOYS, AND COMPOUNDS OF THE SAME, FOR USE IN SECONDARY BATTERIES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Cross at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 6th February 1883.
WILLIAM CROSS of 2 Victoria Mansions in the City of Westminster. Civil Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FINELY DIVIDED LEAD, LEAD ALLOYS,
AND COMPOUNDS OF THE SAME, FOR USE IN SECONDARY BATTERIES AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE,"
My invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of finely divided lead,
lead alloys, and compounds of the same for use in secondary batteries or accumu-
lators of electrical energy, and for other purposes, and in apparatus employed in
such manufacture, all as hereinafter described.
In carrying my invention into practice I take any suitable quantity of lead and
subject the same, in any suitable furnace, vessel or apparatus, to such a temperature
that it assumes a molten, or liquid, semi-liquid, or vicious state and while in this
condition I cause it to pass or flow through an opening or openings of any suitable
form and dimensions into any suitable vessel or chamber, and while it is thus
passing I cause to act upon it in any suitable manner and by any suitable
apparatus a blast or blasts, jets, or currents of any suitable liquid or gaseous fluid
or fluids; for example air, nitrogen, carbonic oxide, carbonic anhydride, hydro-
carbons in a gaseous or liquid condition, steam, water, or other liquid or gaseous
bodies, which may be used alone or in combination with each other. By this
means I cause the liquid, semi-liquid, or vicious lead to be broken up and separated
into a finely divided condition.
One form of apparatus which I employ for carrying my said invention into practice
is constructed substantially as follows that is to say-At or near the top of a rectan-
gular or other suitably shaped vessel or chamber I arrange one or more pipes or vessels
of any suitable form, each of which may be enclosed within another pipe or vessel or
be provided with an exterior or interior chamber or both, for a purpose hereinafter
described. Through the bottom of the first mentioned pipe or pipes and extending
either partly or wholly along the length of the same I form a narrow slot or slots or a
series of holes or openings (which may be made adjustable in size) through which
the lead may be caused to flow in a thin sheet or film or in a series of the same,
or in a series of fine streams. Vertically beneath the said pipe or pipes, or below

page_text: and on one side thereof I place a pipe or pipes or other device from which a blast
or blasts of air, or steam or other suitable gaseous or liquid fluid or fluids may be
caused to issue and act upon the descending stream or streams of lead causing the
same to be blown into finely divided filaments. may employ other gaseous or
liquid blasts or jets issuing from other suitably arranged pipes to act further upon
the blown lead and reduce it to a still finer state of subdivision, either in the same
vessel or chamber, or in additional ones, and also to carry the said blown lead into
collecting vessels or chambers where it may be allowed to settle and from which
it may be removed at intervals. The hereinbefore first mentioned pipe or pipes
is or are provided with an exterior or interior chamber or both, in order that
air or other fluid or fluids, heated to any desired degree of temperature, may be
passed therethrough and maintain the lead at any desired degree of liquidity and
prevent the stopping up of the slot, slots, or holes and consequently the flow of
lead. Or I may employ any other suitable means for attaining this object.
For the purpose of collecting any lead which may escape the action of the blast
or blasts of air or other fluid or fluids I may arrange at the bottom of the vessel or
chamber in which the said lead is first treated, a trough, pipe, or other recepticle
(which may be heated to any desired degree of temperature by means substantially
similar to those above described) connecting by any suitable means with the lead
melting furnace, or with mechanism for transferring the collected lead to the
pipe or pipes above, to be again used; or simply with a recepticle placed outside
the vessel or chamber. Or the said trough pipe or other recepticle may be
dispensed with and the floor of the said vessel or chamber be suitably shaped to
act instead.
For the purpose of separating any shots of lead formed during the process and
to assist in the sub-division of the lead I may employ a plate or plates or other
device suitably arranged and either plane or perforated to act as a baffle plate or
plates whereby such shots of lead are removed from the finely divided product.
For some purposes the presence of shots of metal may not be disadvantageous and
therefore need not be removed.
The blast or blasts of air or other fluid or fluids employed may be cold but in
some cases and from some of the blast pipes arranged in suitable parts of the
apparatus I may employ a blast or blasts heated to any desired degree of tem-
perature for the purpose of maintaining the lead in a suitable condition to admit
of its being finely divided by the same, or by other blasts of air or other fluid or
fluids suitably arranged in the apparatus.
Instead of simply allowing the liquid, semi-liquid or vicious lead to flow from
a pipe or pipes or other suitable vessel or vessels as above described and then acting
upon it by a blast or blasts of air or other fluid or fluids in order to break it up
into finely divided particles or filaments I may modify the above process by
causing the said lead to be discharged with a great velocity into any suitable
vessel or chamber whereby the lead will be broken up or finely divided by its
passage through the gaseous atmosphere contained therein. Or while the lead is
being thus discharged I may cause it to be acted upon by any suitably arranged
blast or blasts of air or other fluid or fluids.
A suitable form of apparatus for carrying this modification of the process into
practice may be constructed substantially as follows, that is to say :-A vessel or
chamber of disc, globular, conical, double conical, drum or other suitable shape
is so mounted as to be capable of being revolved at a high velocity. This vessel
or chamber, which may be formed of any suitable material and partially hollow
may be provided with a projecting flange round its circumference. In this vessel
or chamber I form a narrow slot, or slots or a series of holes or openings (which
may be made adjustable in size) communicating with its hollow interior and
beneath the said slot, slots or series of holes or openings is formed another slot,
slots or series of holes or openings (which may also be adjustable in size) com-
municating with a second hollow vessel, chamber, or pipe arranged within or
beneath the first mentioned hollow vessel or chamber and attached thereto. The

page_text: series of slots or other openings communicating with the two vessels or chambers
may be arranged in alternate layers or planes.
When this apparatus is revolved at a high speed and lead in a liquid, semi-liquid,
or vicious condition is caused to pass into the first mentioned hollow vessel it will
be thrown or discharged, by centrifugal action, with a great velocity through the
first mentioned slot slots or series of holes or openings. The lead thus discharged
into the air or other gaseous atmosphere employed will be sufficiently finely divided
for many purposes but in order to obtain it in a still more finely divided condition
I may cause a blast or blasts of air or other fluid or fluids (which may be previously
heated) to be forced through the second mentioned hollow vessel chamber, or pipe
and through its slot, slots, or series of holes or openings. These openings are
preferably so formed as to cause the issuing blast or blasts to impinge upon the
lead issuing from the other openings and blow it into a more finely divided state.
The finely divided lead thus obtained may be still further acted upon by suitably
arranged blasts of air or other fluid or fluids which may be at the ordinary
temperature or heated to any desired degree for the purposes hereinbefore described.
The molten or liquid lead may be discharged from the second mentioned vessel or
chamber and the air from the first one.
I may further modify the processes above described as follows:-A combined or
mixed blast, jet or stream of air, steam or other suitable fluid or fluids and liquid,
semi-liquid or vicious lead, or a series of such blasts, jets or streams, may be caused
to issue with a great velocity (by any suitable apparatus or means) from any
suitably arranged vessel, chamber, pipe or other apparatus (which may be fixed or
moveable) and impinge against other similar blasts jets or streams issuing with
a great velocity from other fixed or moveable apparatus.. Or streams or jets of
liquid, semi-liquid, or vicious lead only, moving with a great velocity, may be
caused to impinge against each other and thus be broken up, in either case suitably
arranged blasts of air or other fluid or fluids being employed if desirable to carry
on the subdivision of the lead to the desired degree.
For carrying this modification into practice I may employ two or more fixed
pipes, vessels or other apparatus from which blasts jets or streams of air, steam, or
other fluid or fluids and liquid lead, or lead alone, are caused to issue approximately
in the same plane with a great velocity, and converging upon each other, whereby
the said lead will be broken up or subdivided. Or I may employ revolving vessels,
chambers or other apparatus as above described with reference to the first
modification, from which the lead is discharged by centrifugal action.
Two or
more of these vessels or chambers are so arranged that the lead is discharged from
each in approximately the same horizontal plane or planes whereby the issuing lead
from one vessel or chamber impinges upon that issuing from the other or others
and thus becomes broken up or subdivided. Blasts or jets of air, steam or other
fluid or fluids may be also caused to issue from the revolving apparatus with or
independently of the issuing lead. In each of the methods and arrangements of
apparatus just described, blasts of air steam or other fluid or fluids, suitably
arranged and of any desired temperature may be employed to carry on the
subdivision of the lead to any desired degree, and for carrying the same into
settling chambers. Baffle plates may be employed in this and the first modification
above described.
The vessels or chambers in which the above described processes are carried
on may be maintained at any desired temperature by any convenient or well
known means and the finely divided lead may be allowed to settle in the vessel
or chamber in which it is first treated or in other vessels or chambers into which
it is drawn or blown by suitably arranged blasts or jets of air or other fluid or
fluids.
In the above description I have spoken only of lead being operated upon but
it will be obvious that I may treat alloys of lead with other metal or metals,
in a liquid, semi-liquid or vicious condition, in a similar manner to that above
described.

page_text: The finely divided lead may be obtained in the form of fine particles or in the
form of fine hairs, fibres, or filaments more or less resembling slag wool in texture,
according to the precise method of treatment followed, upon the state of liquidity
of the lead, the pressure and temperature of the blast or blasts of air or other
fluid or fluids employed and the suitable arrangement of baffle or impact plates.
Valves, cocks or other equivalent devices may be suitably arranged and
combined with the apparatus above described for regulating the blast or blasts
of air or other fluid or fluids, and the flow of lead, according to the requirements
of the process.
The blasts or jets of air steam or other fluid or fluids may be produced by any
suitable apparatus or means such for example as blowing engines, fans, steam-
blowers or jets, steam generators and the like.
It will be obvious that other forms of apparatus than those above described
may be employed, and also that the methods employed may be more or less varied
without departing from the principle of my invention, and therefore I do not wish
to confine myself to the precise methods and apparatus above described for carrying
my invention into practice.
When the finely divided lead or alloy of lead is required in the metallic state
I may employ a blast or atmosphere of air from which the oxygen is removed
in the early stages of the process by oxidation leaving the nitrogen which I
continuously use; or I may remove the oxygen from the air by combustion or
other means and leave a mixture of neutral gases; or I may employ a mixture of
air with other fluid or fluids, or simply a fluid or fluids which are neutral to lead
or the lead alloy under treatment.
The finely divided lead or alloy of lead obtained as above described may be
matted, plaited, woven, pressed or otherwise made into plates, rings, cylinders,
tubes or other suitable form for use in secondary batteries or accumulators of
electrical energy, wherein a large active surface of lead is required. The finely
divided filaments of lead are specially suitable for the manufacture of white lead
by the "Dutch Process" the time required for conversion in this process being
considerably reduced whilst the quality of the product obtained is improved.
The finely divided lead is also suitable for use as lead packing, for the manu-
facture of various lead salts, and for many other purposes in the arts and
manufactures.
The finely divided lead or alloy may be more or less coated with oxide, sulphide,
carbonate, acetate, or other salt or compound of lead, or of the alloy, by the
employment of a blast or atmosphere, or both, containing oxygen (such as air),
sulphuretted hydrogen, carbonic acid or anhydride, acetic acid vapour, or other acid
vapour depending upon the compound of lead required.
The finely divided lead more or less coated with oxide may be employed for
the electrodes in secondary batteries, as will be readily understood, and the said
lead more or less coated with acetate or carbonate of lead may be used for the
manufacture of white lead.