IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL ACCUMULATORS " OR SECONDARY BATTERIES
Year: 1883

page_text: ĻETTERS PATENT to Paget Higgs of Leith, Scotland Engineer and Doctor of
Laws for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL ACCUMULATORS
"
OR SECONDARY BATTERIES communicated to him from abroad by Charles
Forbes of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Paget Higgs at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th April 1883.
PAGET HIGGS of Leith, Scotland, Engineer and Doctor of Laws IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ELECTRICAL ACCUMULATORS OR SECONDARY BATTERIES" [A communi-
cation to him from abroad by Charles Forbes of Boston, Massachusetts, United
States of America]
This Invention relates to electrical accumulators or secondary or storage
batteries.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide plates, cakes, or pieces of
any desired shape which I make of the undermentioned materials, and in the
following manner, that is to say I take some finely divided lead, also some very
finely pulverized graphitoidal carbon and mix the same together in such a manner
that each particle of lead will be surrounded by particles of carbon, I prefer that
there shall be more carbon than lead but do not wish to confine myself to any
special relative proportions. The compound so made is exposed to the atmosphere
for a sufficient length of time to cause the lead to become oxidized whereupon the
said compound is mixed with a solution of sugar in water and then made up into
pieces of any desired shape or dimensions. The sugar has a slightly solvent action
on the lead and mechanically causes it to adhere to the carbons so that the blocks
or pieces are very compact. The plate or other piece so prepared is placed in a
suitable holder and if in the form of a plate (which is preferable) it is put between
two very thin sheets of perforated lead. This plate either whilst thus protected,
or previously thereto, is for a short time made the anode in a solution of caustic
alkali in order to form a clean surface on the particles of lead for the next
operation; the said plate is then made the cathode in a bath of a mercury salt in

page_text: order that mercury may be deposited upon the surface and the lead particles thus
become amalgamated. The plate thus prepared is ready to become the positive
pole or electro-negative plate of a storage battery or accumulator.
For the positive plate or negative electrode of the battery I prefer to employ an
alloy of zinc or a plate of iron. If the former, its constituents are zinc, lead, and
antimony, the following proportions having been found to give good results in
practice that is to say 95 parts of zinc, 4 parts of lead, and 1 part of antimony. If
cheapness be an object I use an iron plate instead of the zinc alloy, in which case a
solution of sulphate of iron is used in the battery. When the zinc alloy is employed
I make use of a solution of zinc sulphate which is made freely acid with bi-
sulphate of potash or even with sulphuric acid. To meet the demands of the
dissolution I make the zinc or iron plate of double the thickness or mass of metal
required by theory to saturate the solution, and in order to form a protecting
framework on the zinc or iron plate I paint or "stop off" with an insulating
varnish such portion of the plate as I do not wish to be attacked. On the
principle that two cells of a battery connected by their like poles give rise to no
current in the circuit of which they both form a part, and that thereby chemical
action in the cell is prevented, I prevent solution of the zinc or iron, or other
chemical action in the cell, by dividing the battery or series into two halves by
means of a commutator and in a manner well known to electricians.
I may use any convenient form of cell or element but have found that a battery
may be conveniently prepared in the following manner, that is to say, I place upon
a sheet of zinc one of the compound lead and carbon plates or pieces made as
described in the first part of this Specification but with a separating medium
between them consisting of one or more strips of gutta-percha, and then I roll these
plates into spiral form and set the spiral vertically in a cylindrical pot.
In order to be able to ascertain when the battery is fully charged I place in the
central portion or tube of the spiral a small glass bulb so weighted as to float when
the liquid is dense, and to sink when the liquid becomes attenuated. To this bulb
or ball is attached a cord which is arranged to pull upon the contact piece of a
circuit communicating with an electric bell and thus cause an alarm to be sounded
or other device to be operated, when, through the deposition of the iron or zine
the solution shall have become of sufficiently low density as to allow the ball to
sink, The bulb or ball may be weighted with mercury or shot,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Paget Higgs in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th October
1883.
PAGET HIGGS, of Leith, Scotland, Engineer, and Doctor of Laws "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ELECTRICAL ACCUMULATORS OR SECONDARY BATTERIES."-A communi-
cation to me from abroad by Charles Forbes, of Boston, Massachusetts, United
States of America
This invention relates to electrical accumulators or secondary or storage batteries,
and consists in the improvements hereinafter specified.
In carrying the said invention into practice I provide plates, slabs or pieces of
any desired shape which I make of the undermentioned materials and in the
following manner, that is to say, I take finely divided lead and very finely pul-
verized graphitoidal carbon and mix the same intimately together so that each
particle of lead will be surrounded by particles of carbon. I prefer that there shall
be more carbon than lead but do not wish to limit myself to any special relative
proportions. The compound so made is exposed to the atmosphere (preferably a
moist atmosphere) for a sufficient time to effect the oxidation of the lead. The
said compound is then mixed with a solution of sugar in water and made up into
pieces of any desired shape or dimensions. The sugar has a slightly solvent action
on the lead and causes it to adhere to the carbon so that the plates, blocks; or pieces
are very compact. The plate or other piece so prepared is placed in a suitable
holder and if in the form of a plate (which is preferable) it is put between two
sheets of very thin perforated lead. This plate either while, or before, being thus
protected is for a short time made the anode in a solution of caustic alkali in order
to form a clean surface on the particles of lead for the next operation. In this
next operation the said plate is made the cathode in a bath of a mercury salt to
cause the deposition of mercury upon the surface and the amalgamation of the lead
particles.
The plate thus prepared is ready to become the positive pole or negative plate or
electrode of a storage battery or accumulator. For the positive plate or electrode
of the battery I prefer to employ iron or an alloy consisting of zinc, lead and
antimony. For this alloy the following proportions have been found to give good
results in practice, that is to say, ninety five (95) parts of zinc, four (4) parts of
lead, and one (1) part of antimony. When this zinc alloy is employed I use a
solution of zinc sulphate, which is made freely acid with bi-sulphate of potash
or with sulphuric acid. If cheapness be an object I make the said plate of iron
and I use a solution of sulphate of iron in the battery. To meet the demands of
the dissolution I make the zinc or iron plate of double the theoretical thickness or
mass of metal required to saturate the solution, and in order to form a protecting
framework on the zinc or iron plate I paint or "stop off" with an insulating
varnish such portion or portions of the plate as I do not wish to be attacked.
I take advantage of the principle that when two cells of a battery are connected
by their like poles they will cause no current in the circuit of which they both
form a part and, therefore, no solution of the zinc or iron or other chemical action
in the cell. For this purpose I divide the battery or series of cells into two halves
and provide the same with a commutator whereby I can change the connection of
the poles in a manner well known to electricians.
I may use any suitable form of cell or element but have found that a battery
may be conveniently prepared in the following manner, that is to say, I place upon
a sheet of zinc one, of the compound lead and carbon plates or pieces made as above

page_text: -
described but with a separating medium between them consisting preferably of one
or more strips of gutta-percha, and I roll these plates into spiral form and set the
spiral vertically in a cylindrical pot or vessel.
To provide for ascertaining when the battery is fully charged, I place in the
central portion or tube of the spiral plates a small glass or other bulb, ball or globe
80 weighted as to float when the liquid is dense and to sink when the liquid becomes
attenuated. To this bulb is attached a cord which is so arranged that when the
bulb sinks it will pull upon a contact piece or switch in a circuit communicating
with an electric bell or other device.
The battery thus acts automatically to cause an alarm to be sounded or other
signal to be operated, when, through the deposition of the iron or zinc, the density
of the solution shall have become too low to float the bulb. The said bulb may
be weighted with mercury or other suitable material.
A plate or slab may be formed of minium or red lead, carbon-dust of the
graphitoidal character above described, and sugar-solution, which plate may be
reduced to the metallic condition by the action of an electric current. I do not
find that the sulphate of lead is detrimental to the action of the battery except
when it acts as a mechanical separator between the film of peroxide and the base-
plate.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondent, and shown how the same may be most conveniently and
advantageously carried into effect, I wish it understood that I claim
First. The improvements in, and relating to, the manufacture of the plates,
electrodes, or elements of an accumulator or storage battery, substantially as set
forth.
1
Second. The provision for opposing the cells of the battery, substantially as, and
for the purpose, specified
Third. The combination with, or use in, the said battery, of a hydrometer
connected with a bell or other signal, substantially as, and for the purpose,
specified.
In Witness whereof I the said Paget Higgs have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Twenty third day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
DACT