Improvements in Secondary or Storage Batteries.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1892-Accepted, 16th July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Secondary or Storage Batteries.
I, HENRY HERBERT LLOYD, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, but
now residing at No. 312 South Tenth Street, in the City and County of
Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Electrical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature and objects of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SECONDARY OR STORAGE BATTERIES and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statements :-
My invention relates in general to secondary or storage batteries composed of a
series of plates, and more particularly to improvements in the plates and in' means
for insulating and preventing disintegration of the same.
The principal objects of my present invention are first, to provide a secondary
or storage battery that is especially adapted for use under conditions that involve
rough handling and heavy discharging of the plates thereof; for example, in
traction work and the like; and second, to provide a durable and comparatively
inexpensive battery plate or electrode of great mechanical strength, of low internal
resistance and of high conductivity, and in which substantially perfect electrical
contact exists between the conducting support and the active material or material
conditioned to become active and in which the active material is effectively protected
from disintegration.
My improved battery plate comprises a perforated conducting support having
pieces of active material or material to become active, as cast chloride of lead with
or without an admixture of chloride of zinc, supported in the perforations thereof.
It is of course important to prevent these pieces of active material from falling out
of the perforations, and I attain this result by forming a rabbet or match-joint
between the adjacent portions of each of the pieces of active material and of the
support. These rabbet or match-joints not only impart great mechanical strength
to the plate, but also reduce the internal resistance thereof, because of the close
proximity of the conducting support to all parts of the active material. Moreover,
in producing my plate I cast the supporting material around the pieces of active
material under heavy pressure, so that very perfect contact is obtained between the
two and this contact is of course improved by the expansion of the active
material that always occurs during the operation of forming the plate. However,
in the use of the above described plate, in which the active material is to a
certain extent enveloped by the support, a comparatively large surface of sup-
porting material would be exposed to the action of the current, thus causing
either serious corrosion of the support or waste of energy due to the fact that
gas would be given off at the support instead of doing useful work in oxidizing
the active material. To obviate this defect I protect the support from the action
of the electric current by means of an acid proof insulating cover, and I design
this insulating covering in such manner that while the support is practically
This result is
covered, the active material is covered only to a slight extent.
important and is accomplished by providing clusters or groups of small holes or
perforations in the insulating covering opposite the active material, thus leaving
the portions of the covering that overlie the support intact. This peculiar con-
struction is productive of many beneficial results, of which the following may be
particularly mentioned first, the current following the path of least resistance,
in this case, the shortest path, attacks the active material only, it being understood
that the solid portions of the covering set up sufficient additional resistance to
protect the support; and second, the bars between the perforations of the covering
form a sort of net work overlying the active material, and this net-work forms a
:

page_text: mechanical support to the face of the active material or material to become active
and thereby prevents scaling or rapid disintegration of the same without inter-
fering with the efficiency of the battery. In some instances, additional perforations
are provided extending through the active material or material to become active
and also through the overlying coverings in order to afford the electrolyte additional
access to the active material.
The nature and objects of my invention will be more fully understood from the
following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming
part hereof; and in which
Fig. 1, is a top or plan view of a vase or cell showing a series of negative
plates of lead or other material and a series of positive plates embodying features
of my invention mounted therein.
Fig. 2, is a similar view showing a series of positive and a series of negative
plates embodying features of my invention.
Fig. 3, is a side elevation partly in section of a plate or electrode embodying
features of my invention and showing an exterior perforated insulating covering,
the face of the plate and a central section of the same: and
Fig. 4, is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.
In the drawings, is a conducting support provided with perforations a¹ and with
a lug or terminal 2, are pieces of active material or material conditioned to
become active, as cast chloride of lead with or without an admixture of chloride
of zine, supported in the respective perforations «², and having their ends sub-
stantially flush with the respective faces of the support a. These pieces b, of
active material or material to become active, are prevented from falling out of the
perforations a¹, by means of well known rabbet or match-joints b', in substantially
the same manner as the glass plates of windows are held to place in their supporting
frame-work. In producing the above described plate the support a, is preferably
dense and may be cast around the pieces b, of active material or material to
become active, under heavy pressure, so that very perfect contact is obtained
between the two, and this contact is of course improved by the expansion of
the pieces, that always occurs during the operation of forming the plate. The
faces of the support a, are protected by insulating coverings or plates c, made of
celluloid, rubber or other suitable material and provided with clusters or groups
of holes or apertures, which together with the bars, between them form a
sort of net-work opposite to the respective faces of the pieces b, of active
material or material to become active. d, are channels that extend through the
coverings or insulating plates c, and through the pieces, of active material or
material to become active, and thus afford access to the internal portions of the
active material or material to become active. These coverings or insulating
plates e, may be retained to place in contact with the respective faces of the
supports by means of any suitable clamping devices, for example, by means of
ordinary rubber bands e, which also serve to keep the electrodes or plates apart
when they are mounted in battery.
In practice, the hereinabove described plates or electrodes may be prepared for
use in a secondary battery or accumulator by mounting them as the positive
plates, in an electrolytic cell, in which the negative plates may be of lead or
other preferred material (Fig. 1) and permitting the ensuing electrolysis to effect
the conversion of the pieces, into active material in the ordinary and well under-
stood manner. Two series of such plates may then be constituted the positive and
negative plates in the vase or cell of a secondary battery or accumulator, (Fig. 2).
In both cases the rubber bands e, serve to keep the plates apart, and the latter may
be charged and discharged in any preferred manner.
During these operations the supports a, are protected from the action of the
electric currents by the insulating covering or sheets c, so that corrosion of the
supports is avoided and all the available current is utilized for oxidizing the active
material. Moreover the net-work comprising the bars, that overlies the active
material 6, causes the current following the path of least resistance to attack only

page_text: the active material; and moreover, forms a mechanical support for the face of the
active material or materials to become active of the plates or electrodes, thereby
preventing scaling or rapid disintegration of the active material, and permitting
the plates to be advantageously used under conditions which involve heavy
discharging and rough handling, for example, in traction work which involves such
conditions in a very marked degree.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and objects of my
invention, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A battery plate or electrode composed of a conducting support and active
material or material to become active and provided with insulating acid proof sheets
covering the support and having clusters or groups of holes or perforations
disposed opposite the active material or material to become active, substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
2. In a secondary or storage battery, an acid proof sheet adapted to cover a
support and provided with clusters or groups of holes or perforations adapted to
form a net-work over the active material or material to become active, substantially
as and for the purposes set forth.
3. A secondary or storage battery, comprising a vase or cell, an electrolyte, two
series of plates composed respectively of a support and active material or material
to become active, and insulating acid proof sheets covering the faces of said
supports and provided with groups of perforations constituting a net-work over-
lying the active material or material to become active, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
4. A battery plate or element composed of a conducting support and active
material or material to become active, and provided with insulating acid proof
sheets covering the support and having clusters or groups of holes or perforations
disposed opposite the active material and one of said holes or perforations in line
with an aperture extending through the active material or material to become
active, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
5. A battery plate or electrode composed of a conducting support having pieces
of active material or material conditioned to become active fitted into perforations
in said support and having their ends substantially flush with the respective faces
of said support, and provided with insulating acid proof sheets covering said
supports and having groups or clusters of holes disposed opposite the exposed
portions of the pieces of active material or material to become active, substantially
as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 27th dex of Mov D 1000
HENRY HERBERT LLOYD.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.