Voltaic Batteries..
Year: 1885

page_text: Voltaic Batteries..
We THOMAS JOHN JONES of 12 Princes Street Hanover Square in the County
of Middlesex, Electrician and WILLIAM HOWARD TASKER of 7 Gower Street,
Bedford Square, in the County of Middlesex, Electrician, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows :—
This Invention relates to the manufacture of plates or elements for voltaic
batteries and it has for its object to produce porous and yet hard coherent masses
of any desired form mainly composed of oxide of lead and capable of serving as
efficient elements in a battery when reduced to porous metallic lead or converted
into peroxide of lead this metal.
According to my Invention I take an oxide of lead preferably the monoxide
(litharge) both for the production of the positive and the negative elements and
mix therewith in the dry state a certain proportion of ground white porous
earthenware free from iron, or ground pumice stone or Kieselguhr or other
equivalent porous material either ground or in fragments with the addition of
ammonic chloride, sulphate, carbonate, chromate or phosphate, sodic or potassic
chloride, sulphate or chromate.
When an intimate mixture of these ingredients has been effected the compound
is placed in a mould and steam is then injected upon the mass by which means it
is caused to set.
The mass is then wetted or saturated with water and slightly consolidated,
removed from the mould and dried in the air or by heat, and converted in an
electrolytic converting tank into spongy metallic lead or into peroxide to serve
either as a positive or negative element in the cell. In the manufacture of positive
elements it may sometimes be advisable to omit the ground earthenware & from
the compound.
To increase the hardness of the compound I may incorporate with the mass a
certain proportion of finely divided lead before it is moulded.
A conducting plate or tang may be embedded in the mass while being moulded.
The plates or elements after being made as above may be superficially hardened
and rendered conductive by immersion in a bath of chloride of lime.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Plates or Elements for
Voltaio Batteries.
We THOMAS JOHN JONES of 12 Princes Street Hanover Square in the County
of Middlesex Electrician, and WILLIAM HOWARD TASKER formerly of 7 Gower
Street Bedford Square and at present of 18 Upper Woburn Place Tavistock Square
in the County of Middlesex Electrician 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:-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of plates or elements for voltaic
batteries; and it has for its object to produce porous and yet hard coherent masses
of any desired form mainly composed of oxide of lead and capable of serving as
efficient elements in a battery when reduced to porous metallic lead or converted
into peroxide of this metal.
This Invention consists essentially in a process of mixing together and moulding
whilst in a dry state the materials of which the plates are composed and then
steaming the mass whilst in the mould whereby the soluble constituents of the
mixture are dissolved and rendered active so as to cause the mass to "set" or bind
together in the mould and at same time leave interstices which increase the
porosity of the mass.
°
In carrying out the Invention, we take an oxide of lead preferably the monoxide
(litharge) (which we use alone when the plate is to be used as a positive element
only, and which in other cases we preferably intimately mix with about 5%%
to 6° of inert porous material such as ground white porous earthenware free from
iron, or ground pumuce stone, or Kieselgubr) and thoroughly incorporate therewith
whilst in a dry pulverulent state a certain proportion of one of the salts hereafter
mentioned whilst the same is in a crystalline form. This dry pulverulent mixture
is then placed in a mould, consolidated by pressure, and whilst in the mould
steamed by being exposed to a jet of steam or enclosed in a steam chamber. The
steam becoming condensed dissolves the salt throughout the mass and so causes it
to combine with the oxide of lead which is caused to "set" in the mould in the
form of a dense and coherent plate having the desired degree of porosity. This is
usually done by directing a jet of steam upon one face of the mass contained in
the mould until action appears to have ceased, and in order to ensure the complete
setting of the lead oxide the mass is afterwards thoroughly impregnated with a
half saturated solution of ammonia. The mass is then allowed to drain for a few
minutes, removed from the mould, and dried in the air, or by heat. The mass
when dry is ready to be at once converted by electrolysis either into spongy
metallic lead, or into peroxide of lead (directly or indirectly) according as it is to.
be used as the positive or the negative element in a cell, In order however, to
facilitate this electrolytic conversion of the mass into peroxide of lead, it is
preferable to immerse the same in a hot clear solution of chloride of lime whereby
the mass is superficially peroxidized; or better still to use a mixture of about 25%
of peroxide of lead in the form of fragments or dust with the litharge in lieu of the
inert porous material before referred to, in which case the superficial peroxidation
is unnecessary,

page_text: The salt we prefer to use is ammonic sulphate in the proportion of about 5%%
of the weight of lead oxide used, but we may use instead, about the same pro-
portion of ammonic chloride, carbonate, chromate, or phosphate, or of sodic or
potassic chloride, sulphate, or chromate. When a chloride is used either in the
mixture or subsequently, the plate should be well washed to remove as far as
possible all traces of chloride before the electrolytic conversion is effected.
In order to render the plates more conductive at the point where contact is to be
effected we prefer, when inert porous substances enter into the composition of the
plate, to face the parts in question with a mixture of the litharge and the salt
without any inert and consequently non conducting material before compressing
and steaming in the mould.
In order to harden the plates, we generally find it advisable to mingle a little
glycerine with the steam by causing the steam jet to act as a spray producer upon
a mixture of three parts of glycerine to one of water.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is;
1. The herein described process of producing porous and coherent masses or
plates mainly composed of oxide of lead, which process consists in mixing together
an oxide of lead preferably the monoxide (litharge) and one of the salts herein
specified, whilst the said materials are in a dry condition, and then steaming the
dry mixture whilst in the mould as and for the purpose specified.
2. The manufacture of porous and coherent masses or plates mainly composed of
oxide of lead, which process consists in mixing together monoxide of lead (litharge)
peroxide of lead and of one of the salts herein specified, whilst the said materials are
in a dry state and then steaming the dry mixture whilst in the mould as and for
the purpose specified.