IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY ELECTRIC OR GALVANIC BATTERIES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SECONDARY ELECTRIC OR GALVANIC BATTERIES." A communication from
abroad by Camille Alponse Faure, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th April 1881.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY ELECTRIC OR GALVANIC BATTERIES."
A communication from abroad by Camille Alphonse Faure, of Paris, in the
Republic of France.
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of
secondary electric or galvanic batteries constructed on what is known as Faure's
system as well as Plante's system, or any other battery of the same class.
In carrying out this Invention the lead plate acting as the support or the surface
of the support is coated or covered in the first place by means of electrotypy
disintegration or deposit in the form of paste with an active substance or compo-
sition, which may consist of either red lead or other oxide of lead or of an
insoluble salt of lead, or again of a metallic salt producing the effect desired.
This active composition is afterwards covered with felt, cloth, asbestos, card
board, or paper, canvas, or any other porous material that is not liable to be injured
by the use to which it is applied.
The object of this porous substance is to maintain the active composition in its
place against the support. It is obvious that wire gauze made of lead or other
suitable wire may also be employed for this purpose.
It then becomes necessary to attach this porous covering employed for holding
up the composition to the support, and this is effected by various means according
to the nature of the support, that is to say, by means of leaden rivets, or rivets of
other suitable material, or material which is not liable to produce objectionable
products under the action of the liquid in the battery.

page_text: -
In lieu of rivets arranged at suitable intervals a continuous pressure may be
applied by means of woollen threads passed through or across the whole com-
bination, or the porous covering may be cemented to the support in certain places,
or again a trellis work composed of india rubber, wicker work, or other suitable
materials may be arranged in such a manner as to be protected or enclosed
between the two supports or elements forming the pair, and thus serve to retain
both of the coverings in position at the same time.
The object of this arrangement is to leave as much clear space as possible
between the two opposite coverings of the two elements which form a pair in order
to provide for the free escape of the gases which may be generated during the
charging of the pairs or elements.
The space between the two elements may thus be filled up with any porous
material, such as coarse felt, gravel, or any broken stuff which is not liable to be
affected by the liquids employed.
As an example of an arrangement which is found convenient in practice I
proceed in the following manner :-
A layer or coating of red lead in the form of a paste for example is applied to the
support or plate, the said paste or coating being maintained in position against the
support by a porous sheet of felt for example attached by rivets; a part covered
with india rubber to protect it from the action of the acids serves to establish the
electrical communication when two sheets are rolled up and placed in a vessel of
cylindrical or other suitable shape, and composed by preference of lead.
When rolling up, or before rolling up, two plates, bands, or strips of india rubber
or other material of the same nature, gutta percha, woollen, or cotton thread, and
the like are interposed between the surfaces in order to provide a clear passage for
the escape of the gases generated.
When the plates forming supports are destined to be placed in position, and are
arranged either parallel to one another or in any other position, and in any form
which leaves the said support or plate without protection from the mechanical
action tending to deflect or distort these blades, and so to deteriorate the battery,
rigidity is imparted to the said plates of lead or supports by connecting them to
flat pieces of wood, hardened india rubber, or other support of the requisite
stiffness.
Thus in the case of the battery with parallel plates, described in the Provisional
Specification filed by me on the 11 January 1881, No. 129, each leaden plate which
is therein described as a single plate is formed according to the present Invention by
two plates superposed, each being coated and covered as herein before described, and
separated by partitions of insulating or conducting material not porous and not
capable of allowing any communication between the liquids in the two cells or
compartments.
The partitions referred to between the composite supports are provided with a
border or edging of india rubber or other material capable of rendering each cell or
compartment complete and not liable to leak, as described in the Provisional
*Specification of the 11 January 1881, hereinbefore referred to.
:
All the precautions herein before described are applicable to cases in which the
plates forming supports are made of lead, as in the battery known as Plante's, the
said plates being prepared and rendered active and treated by the method known
as Mr. Plante's, that is to say, by galvanic disintegration of the lead plate itself in
lieu of being prepared by the addition of suitable substances as in the process of
my foreign correspondent.
The mode of arranging the parallel plates with a flat piece of wood interposed
enables very thin sheets of lead to be employed, while at the same time imparting
sufficient rigidity to the pairs or elements, and enabling the felt to be nailed or
rivetted on without establishing any communication between the adjacent cells on
each side of the lead plates.
The said flat pieces of wood may be attached at their upper edges, to slips of
wood, hardened india rubber, or even metal, care being taken to insulate the slips

page_text: at their points of contact. The red lead may be held up to the plates by a felt
covering wrapped round the plate and sewn together.
Different methods of obtaining a practical and durable construction of the
improved elements for secondary batteries, that is to say, means for maintaining
the active composition against the surface of the supports or plates of lead or other
suitable material by means of felt attached to the surface by rivets, stitches, or
trellis work has been firstly hereinfore described, and it has also been stated that
this method was applicable to cases in which the supporting plates of lead are
treated (Faure's) or prepared according to the process known as Mr. Plante's in
lieu of receiving a coating or layer of red lead or other active substance. In all
cases in which a series of plates are arranged in a parallel or concentric position, as
in the arrangements described by Mr. Faure, or according to the arrangement of the
superposed cups or vessels employed by Sir William Thompson, or in the modifi-
cation in the form of conical goblets superposed and fitting into and over each
other, it is found to be advantageous, and in certain cases absolutely necessary,
provide between each two supports a plate of a material that is neither porous nor
liable to become porous under the galvanic action, such as a sheet of india rubber®
or other substance possessing similar properties. A layer or coating of suitable
material may also be employed in place of the plate.
to
This combination of felt, a lead plate, and a sheet of india rubber, constitutes an
important feature of this Invention; these three substances producing the same
effect as the same three substances individually and collectively, as herein before
described, and this with or without the addition or intervention of red lead or
other active salts. Another feature of the Invention consists in the method of
attaching the felt to the support by the means hereinbefore described, the same
being effected irrespectively of the form of the battery, that is to say, whether the
battery is constructed with a pair of circular concentric elements, or elements
consisting of flat and parallel plates, or is in the basin form of battery, or battery
constructed with cups, or having any number of elements arranged in juxta
position or superposed.
By the use of this Invention electric-force may be stored up in considerable
quantities in a small space in order to be transported wherever required.
The several improvements may be employed either separately or in combination,
as desired.

page_text: 1
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
October 1881.
وو
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY ELECTRIC OR GALVANIC BATTERIES.'
A communication from abroad by Camille Alphonse Faure, of Paris, in the
Republic of France.
The said Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction and
arrangement of what are known as Faure's secondary batteries, which improvements
are also applicable to batteries constructed on what is known as the Planté system,
and to other batteries of the same class.
In the Specification to former Letters Patent granted to me, dated January 11th,
1881, Number 129, it is stated that the active substance or composition may be
supported against the surface of the element by any suitable device, such as a
porous cylinder or vessel. Now the present Invention has reference to certain
special means for supporting the said substance or composition against the surface
of the element, and also to improvements in the arrangement of the plates
themselves.
In carrying out this part of the said Invention, as applied for example to a Faure
battery, the plates or supports are prepared in the manner described in the
Specification to the said former Letters Patent, being covered with a layer of
porous or spongy metallic matter which may be formed, for example, by coating
the said plates with an active substance or composition consisting of either red lead
or other oxides of lead, or oxides of tin, of manganese, or of antimony, or with any
metallic salt capable of producing the effect desired, and then operating sub-
stantially in the manner described in the said former Specification.
In order to maintain the substance or composition against the surfaces of the
plates or elements a porous or permeable sheet or covering of any material not
liable to be injuriously affected by the action of the battery is applied over the
substance or composition and secured to the plate or element by rivetting, stitching,
cementing, enveloping, or by the interposition between the plates of open work
material. This porous or permeable covering may consist of felt, cloth, asbestos,
paper, cardboard, gauze, or cloth made with lead or other wire, or any other similar
porous or permeable material.
The plates or elements thus prepared may be rolled up in the form of a scroll, or
they may consist of a series of vessels superposed and arranged one within the
other, as described in the Specification to former Letters Patent granted to me,
dated March 14th, 1881, Number 1097, or be arranged in any other known
combination.
When thin flat lead plates are used they may be supported according to this
Invention by employing supports of wood, ebonite, or other similar impermeable
material, to which the plates are attached and which also serve to form impermeable
cells for containing the liquid, as hereinafter described.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a section of an element in
which the active substance or composition is supported against the surface of the
plate by a porous or permeable covering connected to the plate by rivets, and
Figure 2 is a corresponding side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 represents a section of an element in which the porous or permeable
covering is connected to the plate by stitches.

page_text: Figure 4 is a similar view of an element in which the porous or permeable
covering is connected to the plate by being cemented to the said plate at intervals,
and Figures 5 and 6 represent respectively a section and a side elevation of a pair
of plates or elements in which the porous or permeable covering is maintained in
position by means of trellis work.
Figure 7 represents a section of an element shewing another arrangement for
supporting the composition, as hereinafter described.
Figure 8 is a section, and Figure 9 is a corresponding side elevation of a portion
of a battery constructed with elements composed of thin flat lead plates secured at
the opposite side of the partitions or supports forming cells.
Figure 10 represents a vertical section of a battery constructed with a series of
deep taper vessels, hereinafter referred to.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings, A is a lead plate formed or
prepared by receiving a layer B of a suitable substance or composition on one side
only. A sheet or covering C of felt or other porous or permeable material is
connected to the plates A by means of rivets or clips D of lead, for example, so as
to prevent the composition or layer B from becoming detached from the plate A..
The upper edge of the plate is soldered to a strip E of conducting material suitably
protected from the action of the liquids by a covering of india rubber, except at one
extremity where the metal is left exposed for the purpose of making the connections.
Two plates thus prepared may be rolled up together in the form of a scroll or
spiral, and constitute a pair of elements which may be advantageously employed in
a secondary battery in the usual manner by immersion in a suitable liquid, such,
for example, as sulphuric acid diluted with water, or phosphoric or boracic acid, or
any other known acid capable of forming insoluble salts with lead may be
substituted for the sulphuric acid.
.
Care should be taken when rolling up the plates to interpose distance pieces or
strips of india rubber or other acid proof and nonconducting material between the
plates in order to maintain the latter at a certain distance apart and allow of the
escape of the gases.
According to the arrangement illustrated in Figure 3 the porous sheet or
covering C is secured over the composition or layer B to the plate A by means of
thread or twine H carried through the covering and the plate and composition or
layer in the form of stitches H.
The porous or permeable covering may also be attached to the plate so as to
retain the substance or composition in place by cementing it directly to the plate
at intervals, as shewn at G, Figure 4, or when two formed surfaces are arranged in
close proximity to each other. a trellis K, Figures 5 and 6, of wicker work, india
rubber, or other suitable material may be arranged between the plates so as to
retain both the porous sheets B in position upon the substance or composition on
the two plates simultaneously, sufficient space being provided in the interstices of
the trellis for the circulation of the liquid and the escape of the gases.
In the case of narrow plates "formed" on both surfaces, as shewn in Figure 7, the
substance or composition may be supported by simply wrapping the porous
sheet C round the plate A with the layers B interposed, and sewing the edges of
the sheet together.
Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the application of this Invention to a battery
constructed with flat lead plates arranged parallel to each other in a somewhat
similar manner to that described in the Specification to the Letters Patent herein-
before referred to, dated January 11th, 1881, Number 129. According to the
present Invention very thin plates may be employed, and in lieu of the plates being
"formed " on both surfaces, as described in the said former Specification, they are
covered with the active substance or composition on one side only, the other side
being applied to a board or support or partition L of wood, ebonite, or other
similar impermeable material, whereby rigidity or stiffness is when required
imparted to the said plates. A series of impermeable partitions L is employed to
form a battery. The first and last being stiff enough to form a support are

page_text: provided with a plate or element on one side only, whilst the intermediate supports
are each provided with two plates, each of such pairs of plates acting in a similar
manner to a single plate or element formed on both sides. In addition to imparting
rigidity to the plates when required, the supports L also constitute impermeable
partitions forming a series of cells for the reception of the liquid. For this purpose
strips M of india rubber or other material capable of making a tight joint are
interposed between the partitions L near the edges of the latter, so as to enclose
spaces between the plates, and thus form a series of compartments or cells. The
plates are attached to the supports or partitions by screws or other suitable means,
and the active substance or composition is held up to the surfaces of the plates by
a porous or permeable covering connected to the plate, as hereinbefore described.
The arrangement of partitions or supports of impermeable material having the
plates with the active substance or composition or porous or spongy metallic
matter, and with the porous or permeable supporting covering hereinbefore
described with reference to Figures 8 and 9, may also be applied in the con-
struction of batterics of the type described in the Specification to the former
Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to, dated March 14th, 1881, No. 1097, as next
hereinafter described and illustrated in Figure 10 of the Drawings.
O, O, are a series of vessels of wood, ebonite, or other similar impermeable
material, which are arranged one within the other, and act as supports for the
plates A bearing the layer B of active substance or composition or porous or
spongy metallic matter, the said layer being held up against the surfaces of the
plates by means of the porous or permeable covering C. Distance pieces P of
suitable acid proof and non-conducting material interposed between the sides of the
vessels serve to support the vessels in position, and also to retain the covering C in
contact with the layer B.
The Invention is also applicable to secondary batteries constructed upon what is
known as the Planté system, in which the porous or spongy metallic matter or
surface is produced by disentegration of the substance of the plate itself, and also to
secondary batteries constructed in any analogous manner.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The peculiar means of securing a porous or permeable covering over the
layers of active substance or composition or porous or spongy metallic matter to
the plates or supports of the battery, so as to maintain the said layers of active
substance or composition or porous or spongy metallic matter against the plates or
supports, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Secondly. In secondary batteries of the description herein referred to, con-
structing the elements with partitions or supports of impermeable material, to
which the plates with the layers of active substance or composition or porous or
spongy metallic matter and porous or permeable supporting covering are attached,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 8, 9, and 10 of the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my Speci-
fication set my hand and scal, this Eleventh day of October, One thousand