Improvements in the Manufacture of Lead Wire suitable for Elec. trodes and for other purposes, and in Electrodes made of such Wire.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr. 1891-Accepted, 30th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Lead Wire suitable for Elec.
trodes and for other purposes, and in Electrodes made of such
Wire.
We, JULES LEGAY and LUCIEN LEGAY both of Levallois-Perret, (Seine)
France, Electricians, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to a new process for the economical manufacture of
lead wire suitable for industrial purposes in general, and especially adapted for use
in the construction of electrodes for electrical accumulators.
In secondary batteries, it is desirable to obtain a large active surface, and the
use of metallic wires, for example lead wires, afford a convenient means of attaining
this object with limited weight. But the employment of these wires has up to the
present time, been prevented owing to their comparative high cost as also to the
difficulty of obtaining them regular and in great lengths capable of being easily
worked. It is not necessary to employ wire of circular cross section or even wire
of uniform texture, but uniformity or regularity in texture is preferable in order
that durable electrodes may be made therewith. It may
be stated that round wire
cannot advantageously be subjected to the torsion or twisting hereinafter mentioned
and which have been found advantageous for the development of the active surfaces
when the wire is to be used in the manufacture of electrodes.
Our new process has therefore for object to render practical and economical the
manufacture of lead wire, and consequently of rendering practical and economical
its various applications, and in particular its application to the manufacture of
electrodes for secondary batteries.
For this purpose lead is pressed or rolled into sheets plates or strips (hereinafter
referred to generally as sheets) of any suitable length, width and thickness, that
are afterwards caused to pass through suitable circular or reciprocating shears
which cut the lead into wire of any desired section and length. By this means
wires of any desired length and cross section can be obtained at small cost.
An arrangement of apparatus for this purpose comprises two sets of circular steel
blades or shears arranged to work together and fixed upon two parallel shafts
between intermediately arranged rings and end collars. These blades may be of
any required diameter, and thickness and arranged at any suitable distance apart.
The form of these blades in section as also that of the intermediate rings can be
varied and made dependent on the cross section of the lead wire to be produced
and which may be square, rectangular, polygonal, or angular, grooved, corrugated
or striated on one or more sides, but it will usually be of square forin, in cross
section and approximately of one millimetre length of side more or less. The
shafts carrying the circular blades are rotated in the opposite directions by any
suitable gearing.
By these means a lead sheet can be cut into a great number of wires by a single
pass. Or a number of superposed lead sheets can be cut at one time.
An arrangement of rectilinear or reciprocating shears, can be used for cutting
one or more wires at a time; but the continuous working of the circular shears is
much preferable.
The wires can be wound upon reels as they are being manufactured, or they may
be laid out upon tables, or left in a heap.
The sheets of lead intended for the production of the wire as herein described,
can be subjected to any desired preparatory treatment, before or during the shearing

page_text: operation; for instance they can be subjected to the operations of rolling, grooving
or fluting, striating or providing with fine channels, softening, stamping, or to the
action of a sand jet or sand blast &c., or to any chemical or electrical treatment.
They can be made of pure lead, or be saturated with oxide, or be alloyed with
another metal that may or may not be subsequently eliminated by electrolysis, or
be acted upon by acids; or the sheets may be made in the manner of plating.
The wires can also be subjected during or after production to either or any of
the operations above mentioned with reference to the sheets. They may be brought
to a round or other form in cross section by rolling or drawing; they can be
amalgamated, covered or coated with a metal, an oxide, or a sulphuret by an
electrolytic or other suitable process; and they can be bent or folded, undulated,
knotted, formed in curls or ringlets, woven, plaited, or be compressed.
Although the wires can be employed as they are, in the construction of accumu-
lators, and in any desired arrangement, it is advantageous, in order to obtain the
best result, to subject them to a twisting operation, that is to say, to a torsion
about their own axis so as to impart to them the form of a cable moulding or rope
which has the advantage, when a number of wires are assembled together of
forming a large number of small cavities through which liquids and gases may
freely circulate; and which would not be the case if round or other wires be merely
placed adjacent to one another.
By this means electrodes composed of such wires can be constructed to have a
high electric capacity.
The wires made as described can be employed in bundles placed upon one
another or in combination with wires of different metals or of different profile
forms cut up into small lengths and be enclosed in cages or frames of lead or other
suitable material, soldered to current collectors, and placed in metallic or in
insulating combs, arranged in gratings, sockets or recesses of any suitable kind.
The wires may also be surrounded with insulating wool in a continuous or other
manner, or with any other suitable material for spacing them apart or for insulating
them. It is however advantageous to employ a number of them made up into the
form of cables and having a twist and torsion in any desired direction, with or
without a core of another material. These cables can be soldered where requisite,
and be arranged in any suitable manner. For example they can be suspended or
supported either zig-zag, horizontally or vertically, rectilinearly or circularly,
spirally, woven, plaited &c.
In one arrangement there is used a support of lead, alloyed or not, or of any
insulating material. This support may rest upon the borders or edges of the
electrode receptacle or vessel or upon ribs or supports arranged therein and serves
to support one or more cables of the new wires having the same, or different initial
tensions if necessary, in order to counteract the swelling of the electrode during
charging and thus to render such electrode incapable of losing its shape. These
cables can be arranged vertically in one or more tiers, or be arranged horizontally
or inclined. The ends or other parts of the cables are soldered to the support, or
to other suitable conductor, for leading off the current.
The current can be led from the electrodes by a cross piece of lead or alloy, that
connects the electrodes and is secured in place by nuts of metal, but preferably of
ebonite which is not attacked by sulphuric acid. Each nut is screwed onto one
end of one of the electrode supports. The lower part of this kind of flexible
plate is maintained in a rectilinear position by a cross piece either of lead or of
insulating material that may or may not be bent at its ends.
Any suitable number of electrodes constructed with lead wire as described may
be used in the same receptacle, and be connected up in the usual manner to form
positive and negative poles.
The electrodes may be separated from one another by suitable insulating material,
as for example porous earth or silica, either in the form of full or perforated plates,
or in the form of grains, or by asbestos cloth. They may be used in conjunction
with electrodes of a different type, and employed in acid liquids that may contain

page_text: metallic salts. The electrical formation of such electrodes can be effected by
Planté's or any other suitable method.
D
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1000
JULES LEGAY,
By L. W., per F. B.
LUCIEN LEGAY,
By L. W., per F. B.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Lead Wire suitable for
Electrodes. and for other purposes, and in Electrodes made of
such Wire.
We, JULES LEGAY and LUCIEN LEGAY both of Levallois-Perret (Seine),
France, Electricians, 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 has reference to the economical manufacture of lead wire suitable
for industrial purposes in general, and especially adapted for use in the construction
of electrodes for electrical accumulators. It also has reference to the manufacture
of electrodes formed of wires of lead or alloys of lead, twisted about their axes,
and in general united to form sheaves, or cables, some of the latter being twisted
to the right, whilst others contiguous thereto, are twisted to the left.
In secondary batteries it is desirable to obtain large active surfaces, and the use
of metallic wires, for example lead wires, afford a convenient means of attaining
this object with limited weight. But the employment of these wires has heretofore
been prevented owing to the comparative high cost of such wires, as also to the
difficulty of obtaining them of regular or uniform size and in great lengths capable
of being easily worked.
It is not necessary to employ wire of circular cross section or even wire of
uniform texture, but uniformity or regularity in texture is preferable in order that
durable electrodes may be made therewith. It may be stated that round wire
cannot advantageously be subjected to the torsion or twisting hereinafter mentioned,
and which have been found advantageous for the development of the active
surfaces necessary when the wire is to be used in the manufacture of electrodes.
The first part of this invention relates to a new method or process having for
object to render practical and economical the manufacture of lead wire, and
consequently of rendering practical and economical its various applications, and
in particular its application to the manufacture of electrodes for secondary
batteries.
For this purpose lead is pressed or rolled into sheets, plates or strips (hereinafter
referred to generally as sheets) of any suitable length, width and thickness, that
are afterwards caused to pass through suitable circular or reciprocating shears
which cut the lead into wire of any desired section and length. By this means-
wires of any desired lengths and cross section can be obtained at small cost.
In the accompanying drawings
Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate in side and end elevations respectively apparatus suitable
for manufacturing lead wire according to this invention.
Fig. 3 illustrates by way of example only various sections of wires that may be
produced by such apparatus.
Fig. 4 illustrates a lead wire that has been twisted in a spiral manner, and
Fig. 5 shews a strand formed of a number of spiral lead wires twisted together.
Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate respectively in side elevation and in plan, an electrode
constructed with cord strands or cables of twisted lead wires according to this
invention.
The apparatus shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises two sets of circular steel blades

page_text: or shears a a arranged to work together and fixed upon two parallel shafts b
between intermediately arranged rings e c' and end collars d'. The blades a a' are
of any required diameter, and thickness and are arranged at any suitable distance
apart. The form of these blades in section as also that of the intermediate
rings e, can be varied, and are dependent on the cross section of the lead wire to
be produced. This wire may be of rectangular, polygonal, or angular form in
cross section, and be grooved, corrugated or striated on one or more sides as shewn
in Fig. 3. Usually it will be of square form in cross section, the width of each
side being approximately one millimetre more or less. The shafts which may
be of iron, or of steel that may be hardened or not, are rotated in opposite
directions by any suitable gearing.
By the means described a lead sheet p can be cut or slit into a number of wires f
by a single passage between the two series of blades or shears. Or a number of
superposed lead sheets can if desired be cut or slit in one operation.
We may also produce lead wire by means of rectilinear or reciprocating shears,
by cutting one or more wires at a time from a lead sheet, but the use of the
circular shears such as described is much more advantageous in practice.
The wires can be wound upon reels as they are being manufactured, or they may
be laid out upou tables, or left in a heap.
The sheets of lead intended for the production of the wire can be subjected to
any desired preparatory treatment before or during the shearing operation; for
instance they can be subjected to the operations of rolling or of grooving fluting or
striating to form fine channels, or to softening, or stamping operations, or to the
action of a sand jet or sand blast etc. or to any chemical or electrical treatment.
The sheets can be made of pure lead, or of lead saturated with oxide, or alloyed
with another metal that may or may not be subsequently eliminated by electrolysis,
or be acted upon by acids or alkalies; or the sheets may be made in the manner of
plating.
The wires can also be subjected during or after production, to one or more of
the operations above mentioned with reference to the sheets. They can also be
brought to a round or other desired form in cross section by rolling or drawing
they can be amalgamated, covered or coated with a metal, an oxide, or a sulphide
by an electrolytic or other suitable process; and they can be bent or folded,
undulated, knotted, formed into curls or ringlets, woven, plaited or compressed as
may be desired to fit them for any special purposes.
Although the wires can be employed in the form in which they leave the cutting
apparatus, for use in the construction of electrodes for accumulators, and in any
desired arrangement, it is advantageous, in order to obtain the best result, to
subject them to a twisting operation, that is to say, to torsion about their axes as
shewn in Figs. 4, so as to impart to them the form of a cable moulding, or rope,
which has the advantage, when a number of them are assembled or twisted together
as shewn in Fig. 5, of forming a large number of small cavities through which
liquids and gases may freely circulate, and which would not be the case if round
or other straight wires be merely placed in juxtaposition.
By this means electrodes composed of such wires can be constructed to have a
high electric capacity.
Wires made as described can be employed in various ways for the manufacture
of electrodes. Thus they may be employed in the form of sheaves placed one upon
another or arranged side by side in combination or not with wires of other metals
or alloys which may have various profiles; or the wires can be cut up into small
lengths, and be enclosed in cages or frames of suitable material for example lead;
soldered to current collectors, or they can be placed in metallic, or in insulating
combs, or be arranged in gratings, sockets or recesses of any suitable kind. The
wires may also be wholly or partly surrounded with insulating or other suitable,
material, for the purpose of spacing them apart or for partly insulating them.
According to another part of our invention we employ a novel construction of
electrode whereby very advantageous results can be obtained.
:

page_text: In the construction of such electrodes, a suitable number of wires of lead or
alloys of lead each previously twisted as shown in Fig. 4, are twisted together to
form a strand or cable such as shown in Fig. 5. The wires may be twisted either
all in the same direction or in opposite directions, or it may be in both directions.
It is an important feature that one of the cables is formed with a right hand twist,
and the other with a left hand twist so that adjacent parts of the two cables C Ci
are twisted in opposite directions as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The cross piece A of
lead upon which the cables C C₁ are arranged and to which they are soldered, is of
such form and dimensions that it can rest upon brackets or supports B, B' arranged
on the edges of the vessel in which the electrode is to be immersed. The cross
piece A is or may be provided with two projections at E E¹ for the purpose of
supporting the cover or lid of the vessel to contain the electrode or electrodes.
The cables are maintained in place at the bottom of the electrode by a cross
piece D that may be of lead or of insulating material, bent, or not, at its ends.
By arranging the cables C C¹ side by side and so that their adjacent parts are
twisted in opposite directious the electrode formed thereby has imparted to it the
novel property of equalising or neutralizing the swelling actions caused by charging
the electrode, and consequently of obviating warping or bulging of the electrode
which is therefore indeformable.
The cables may be arranged in one layer, or in two or more superposed layers,
and any suitable number of them may be used in each layer.
In the preceding description it has been assumed that the cables are continuous
from one side of the electrode to the other. Similar results may be obtained by
employing short lengths of cable cach soldered to and suspended from the plate A,
one length being twisted to the right, and the adjacent one being twisted to the left
and so on.
Electrodes. or plates formed in the manner described may if desired be used in
conjunction with electrodes of other construction and with any suitable kind of
electrolyte as well understood.
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 manufacture of lead wire, or wire composed of an alloy of lead, by
passing a sheet, plate or strip of lead or lead alloy between two series of rotating
or reciprocating shear blades or plates arranged and operating substantially in the
manner and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
2. An electrode composed of lead wires, or wires of lead alloy, twisted to form
strands or cables that are arranged and supported in one or more layers on a
suitable cross piece or support of conducting material, one or more of the said
strands or cables being twisted in one direction, and the other or others in the
opposite direction, and the said strands or cables being so arranged that adjacent
parts thereof are twisted in opposite directions substantially as hereinbefore
described for the purpose specified.
3. The improved electrode substantially as herein before described with reference
to and shown in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings annexed.
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