Improvements in Storage Batteries.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 31st May, 1895-Accepted, 13th July, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Storage Batteries.
1, CLEMENT PAYEN a citizen of the Republic-of-France-but temporarily
residing at 1606 Tioga Street in the City and County of Philadelphia, State of
Pennsylvania one of the United States of America Chemist and 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 :-
The object of my invention is to construct a secondary battery in such a manner
as to dispense with the usual supporting grids for the active material of the
battery. This object is attained by forming the material so that it will be self-
supporting and unconfined and that it can be placed in contact with a suitable
conducting plate or a series of conductors, and in one form of the invention the
active material can be enclosed in a non-conducting envelope.
In one form of battery made in accordance with this invention particles of active
material can be utilized to form the plate in such a manner that the breaking of
the active material into fragments will not interfere with the proper working of
the battery.
In one form of the improved battery the active material may be made into
plates while in another form the active material may be in sections or blocks
unconfined and self supporting.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view of one of the elements of
the battery, partially broken away to illustrate the invention.
Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of one of the elements.
Fig. 3 is a plan view.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the elements in position.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view.
Figs. 6, 6 and 7, are views of modifications of the invention.
Figs. 8 and 9 are views illustrating modifications of the supporting or dividing
plate.
Fig. 10 is a view of a still further modification.
Fig. 11 is a view illustrating the arrangement of the separating plates in
connection with quadrangular sections of active material.
Fig. 12 is a view of a still further modification of the separating or supporting
plate.
Fig. 13 is a view shewing the application of a netting of horse hair or woven
glass as an envelope.
Fig. 14 is a perspective view of one of the quadrangular blocks of active material
detached.
Fig. 15 is a view of one form of separator adapted to the corners of quadrangular
sections.
Fig. 16 is a plan view showing a battery composed of the quadrangular sections
of active material separated by the corner pieces.
Fig. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line x-x Fig. 16.
Fig. 18 is a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal section illustrating a
different arrangement of the active material and showing nonconducting separating
corner pieces.
Referring in the first instance to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, A is the conductor in
the form of a thin metallic plate preferably made of a mixture of lead and antimony,

page_text: and on each side of this conductor plate are arranged the plates of crystalized
active material B B.
D is a nonconducting envelope made in the present instance of rubber open at
the top and having perforations d at intervals so that the liquid can gain access to
the active material.
The positive and the negative plates are built in substantially the same manner,
having a central conducting plate and active material on each side, and a non-
conducting covering thereby preventing the adjoining plates from coming in
electrical contact with each other, and when the plates of active material are made
up of fragments, or are broken, as shown in Fig. 1, the nonconducting envelope
will hold the pieces in position against the plate A and will also prevent them from
short circuiting the battery.
I preferably corrugate the conducting plate A or form therein a series of vertical
ribs a and chaunels a', which channels allow the gas to escape to the surface of the
jiquid, it being understood that the plates of active material are comparatively
hard and the pressure by which they are held together is not sufficient to close the
channels a¹.
In some instances vertical bars a' may be placed between the plate of active
material and the supporting plate, as shown in Fig. 6, and these bars may be
crimped or waved if necessary, as shown in Fig. 6ª.
The nonconducting material D forming the envelope is preferably corrugated so
as to form vertical ribs and channels, as shown, to insure sufficient space between
the elements and between the active material and the said envelope, and the holes
or perforations d are preferably inclined upwards from the interior, as shown in
Fig. 5, so that the particles of active material that may become disengaged will
not pass through the holes.
In some instances the envelope may be perfectly plain and spacing pieces be
provided between the sets of plates and between the plates and the envelopes which
envelope instead of being made of a plain strip extending on each side of and
underneath the conducting plate, may be formed like a bag, closed at the upper
end as well-as at the bottom, so that the conducting plate and the two plates of
active material can be inserted into the bag, as shown in Fig. 13.
A bag can also be made as shown in Fig. 7, with perforations at the top so that
the fluid can gain access to the active material through these perforations.
The bags may be attached to the plates in any suitable mauner for instance as in
Figure 7 or the series of plates may be secured together as shown in Figure 4.
It will be understood that the invention can be applied to any plates of active
material but one of the main objects of the invention is to utilize crystallized
porous lead plates from which the best results are obtained but these plates when
made thin and wide readily crack and crumble; but by the construction shown the
parts are confined to the conducting plate so that although they may crack and
separate from each other they do not in any way interfere with the proper working
of the battery and consequently batteries of this construction can be utilized upon
railway cars, boats, and other places where the constant motion or jar would destroy
an ordinary battery.
By the construction shown constant contact is made between the conducting plates
laterally with the pieces of active material and the ribs on the conducting plates
and on the covering bear upon a small part only of the surface of the active
material.
The conducting plate A may be made as shown in Figures 8 and 9 of bars a³
forming the ribs with open spaces between the bars and these bars may be connected
together by cross ribs at arranged at intervals the bars are preferably diamond
shaped in cross section. The cross bars a* may be made zigzag in some instances
as shown in Figure 12 so as to afford a better contact for the plates or sections of
active material.
The conducting plates can be made very light as they do not as in ordinary
batteries hold the particles of active material.

page_text: In some instances the active material may be made of quadrangular blocks as
shown in Figure 14 instead of flat thin plates as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3
and in this connection these blocks of active material are self supporting and
unconfined and can be separated from each other as shown in Figures 10 and 11 or
by the separating plates such as are shown in Figures 3, 89 and 12 or may be
separated by corner separating plates as shown in Figure 15.
In Figures 16 and 17 the negative sections are situated in one half of the cell
and the positive sections are situated in the other half one set being separated from
the other by the perforated partition of nonconducting material preferably hard
rubber. This plate may have openings as shown in Figure 17 and may be
corrugated-as-shown-in-Figures 10 and 11.
At the bottom of each half of the cell are contact plates E, E³ one plate for the
positive and the other for the negative sections and above these plates are mounted
the sections of active material B₁ B² the sections B' are separated from each other
by division strips E' of lead or other conducting material cruciform in cross section.
These division strips preferably rest upon the contact plate E and are enlarged at
the base formning feet on which are supported the sections of active material so that
the liquid can pass under the sections. Strips are also inserted under the sections of
active material and the walls of the cell so that the liquid has a free circulation
around each section of active material.
The division strips E² are similar in shape to the strips E' and separate the sections
of active material B².
A conductor F is secured to the positive plate E and it preferably extends
upwards through an opening in one of the active sections and has at its upper end
the ordinary coupling by which it is attached to the circuit wire or bar. The
conductor F¹ for the negative sections is attached to the negative plate E³ in the
same manner.
By this construction the active matter is not held by supporting material and is
free to expand without buckling and as the sections of active material are porous
the liquor of the battery can penetrate the entire mass of each section.
A battery constructed in this manner can be readily taken apart and renewed or
repaired and the parts returned to their first position without disarranging the other
portions of the battery.
In some instances the positive and negative sections may be arranged in a different
manner from that shown in Figure 16 and 17 for instance in Figure 18 the positive
sections are shewn alternating with the negative sections similar to the spaces on a
checker board and the connections are made in this instance through binding posts
projecting from each section, the negative binding posts being connected together
by bars e and the positive posts being connected by bars e¹. In this instance the
dividing strips are of non-conducting material, preferably hard rubber, and are
cruciform in cross section and arranged to receive the corners of the sections of
active material, as shown. These strips insulate the negative sections from the
positive sections.
The separating strips shown in Figures 10 and 11 are corrugated or grooved at
each side and perforated so that the liquor will have a free circulation. One set of
strips may extend the full length of the battery and the cross strips may extend
from one long strip to the other, as shown in Figure 11.
It will also be understood that any of the dividing strips shown in Figures 3, 8,
or 12 may be used with the quadrangular sections.
The sections of active material being unconfined will not have the tendency to
bulge and disintegrate, but will simply expand and contract retaining their homo-
geneousness..
to
By constructing the battery in the manner described with reference
Figures 14, 16 and 18 the proportion of active material can be greatly increased
and the size of the battery reduced and the sections can be made in such a manner
that they may be mounted in a portable electric lamp.
Although the sections B. B' are shewn as quadrangular in cross section they may

page_text: be made in the form of hollow or solid cylinders or of any other shape suitable for
the form of battery required, and the separating strips can be made to agree with
the sections.
The dotted lines f. f in Figure 16 shew arms on the conductors F. F' which are
adapted to or form part of the dividing strips E', E.
The division plate i Figure 17 is preferably countersunk on both sides so that
active material that may become detached from the sections will not lodge upon the
plate but will fall t the bottom of the cell.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my, said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
.1. A secondary battery element, consisting of a conducting plate, with ribs, and
an independent plate of active material in contact with the said ribs leaving spaces
between the ribs, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. A secondary battery element, consisting of a conducting plate with ribs, an
independent plate of active material, and an envelope of non-conducting material
to hold the plate of active material to said ribs, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
3. The combination of the central vertically ribbed conducting plate, with
independent plates of crystallized active material on opposite sides of the
conducting plate and in contact with its ribs, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
4. The combination of the central ribbed conducting plate, with independent
plates of crystallized active material on opposite sides thereof, and a perforated
envelope of non-conducting material enclosing the plates, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
5. The combination of the vertically ribbed conducting plate, with cast sections
of active material mounted on each side or opposite sides of the said plate, and a
perforated non-conducting envelope having vertical ribs or corrugations, substantially
as herein before described.
6. A secondary battery-having its elements each formed of a solid homogeneous
mass of active material substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in
Figure 14.
a solid
7. A secondary battery-having its elements each formed of
homogeneous mass of active material in combination with division strips leaving
the masses unconfined substantially as hereinbefore described.
8. A secondary battery having its elements each formed of a solid homogeneous
mass of active material of quadrangular section in combination with division
strips at the corners leaving the masses unconfined, substantially as herein before
described.
solid
9. A secondary battery having its elements each formed of a
homogeneous mass of active material, one of these elements having an opening, aud
a conductor extending through it, substantially as hereinbefore described.
10. The combination of the cell, the perforated partition dividing the cell into
two portions, a conducting plate in the bottom of each portion, a series of
unconfined positive sections resting above one plate, dividing pieces separating the
sections resting upon the plates, a series of unconfined negative sectious resting upon
the other plate, dividing pieces therefor and terminals secured to the plates,
substantially as described.
11. The combination in a series of unconfined and homogeneous electrodes, of
the perforated separating plate or plates having corrugations or grooves at each
side, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
12. The combination in a secondary battery, of the active material and' the
separator plates carried on each side and having tapered openings therein
substantially as herein before described and shewn in Figure 10 of the drawing.
13. The combination in a supporting or separating plate made up of a series of
ز

page_text: vertical bars connected together at intervals by cross bars substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 of the accompanying
drawing.
14. The combination in a secondary battery, of the quadrangular elements, with
ribbed separating plates extending across the battery and short separating plates
extending from one rib to the other substantially as hereinbefore described and
shewn in Figure 11 of the accompanying drawings.
15. A conducting or separating plate for secondary batteries having a series of
diamond shaped vertical bars- connected together_by_a_series of zigzag bars.
substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in Figure 12 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 31st day of May 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.