Year: 1896

page_text: I RANKIN KENNEDY of 33 Gladstone Street, Bradford Yorks Electrical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
These improvements have for their object the reduction in weight and increase in
capacity of electrical storage batteries and improvements in electrical storage battery
cells.
My new storage battery consists of pastes formed from minium or red lead and
litharge mixed with dilute sulphuric acid. This paste is allowed to dry slowly in
air or under a vacuum after it is moulded into the form of a plate about or inch
thick, for large plates, and thinner for small plates.
Plates are formed of pastes of red lead and dilute acid for the positives, and
of pastes of litharge and dilute acid for the negative plates, and these two
plates are put together face to face to form one of my new elements for my
new or improved electric storage battery.
Instead of forming the positive and negative plates separately and then uniting
them, they may be formed together by making a layer of positive paste and then
laying upon this a layer of negative paste and drying both together.
The pastes are cast into a rubber frame or ebonite frame so as to retain the
desired shape.
After drying, the plates with their enclosing frames are built up into a Volta's pile
form, with separating pieces of rubber, spacing them far enough apart to accommodate
sufficient dilute acid to work the battery.
Perforated sheets of ebonite are inserted against the faces of the paste plates to
prevent its loosening and falling off. The beginning plate of the pile forms also the
connector. It is, therefore, made of lead. And so for the same reason is the plate
at the other end of the pile made of lead. These plates are covered, one with a
positive paste plate, and the other with a negative paste plate.
Thus according to my invention a Storage Electric Battery is constructed which
contains no metal plates except two for connecting up purposes.
The plates are vertical, and a vent hole is formed on the upper side in the rubber
separating pieces to allow escape of gases.
To prevent local action in batteries thus constructed, when they are required to
stand idle between charge and discharge, a thin sheet of lead foil about three ounces
to the square foot is interleaved between the positive and negative pastes, when being
made, so that they harden upon it. This prevents local action through the electrolyte
in the inner pores of the plates.
The whole pile is bound up firmly between two wooden plates by bolts and screws,
the whole outside being varnished with good acid proof insulating varnish.
Forked ebonite separators are also used to space the ebonite supporting plates and
to stiffen them against vibration.

page_text: The plates consist almost entirely of active materials supported by a resilient pair
of plates capable of resisting the action of the chemicals in the battery-preferably
ebonite plates perforated with conical holes.
Improvements in Electrical Storage Batteries and cells.
I RANKIN KENNEDY of 33 Gladstone Street Bradford in the County of York Electrical
Engineer, 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:-
These improvements have for their object the reduction in weight and increase in
Capacity of Electrical Storage Batteries and improvements in Electrical Storage cells.
Now according to this invention I form plates for Electrical Storage Batteries from
pastes formed of mixtures of minium or red lead and dilute Sulphuric acid and
litharge and dilute sulpburic acid. These pastes after having been moulded into the
form of plates about three eights or half an inch thick are allowed to dry slowly or in
air or in a vacuum.
These
The positive plates are formed of a paste composed of red lead and dilute acid the
negative plates being formed of a paste composed of litharge and dilute acid.
plates when dry are put together face to face to form one of the elements of storage
batteries constructed according to this invention.
The pastes are enclosed in an indiarubber vulcanite ebonite or other suitable frame
to enable them to retain the desired shape.
Or instead of making the positive and negative plates separately and afterwards
uniting them the two plates may be formed by placing a sufficient thickness of
negative paste on the required thickness of positive paste in a suitable frame and
drying both pastes together.
After drying the plates with their enclosing frames are built up into a Volta's pile
form with pieces of rubber between the plates such pieces of rubber being thick
enough to form a cell which when charged with dilute acid will enable the battery to
work.
To prevent disintegration of the plates the pastes forming each plate are enclosed
between perforated sheets of ebonite.
The beginning and end plates of the battery are made of lead one of the end plates
being covered with positive paste and the other with negative paste.
Thus according to this invention I am enabled to construct Electrical Storage
Batteries of which all the plates but two consist almost entirely of active material or
material to be rendered active.
The plates in a battery are arranged vertically vent holes being formed in the upper
sides of the rubber separating pieces to allow the gases generated during charge and
discharge to escape.
When batteries constructed as hereinbefore specified are required to stand idle
between charging and discharging local action is liable to take place in the plates this
is prevented by interposing a sheet of lead or lead foil between the positive and
negative pastes during manufacture in such a manner that the said pastes harden on
the said lead plates or foil.
The whole pile is clamped between two pieces of wooden board by means of bolts or
screws the said boards being heavily varnished with a good acid proof insulating
varnish. Forked pieces of ebonite are also used to prevent the ebonite supporting
plates from bulging.

page_text: And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I will proceed to
explain the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings in which :-
Fig 1. represents section of a four cell battery constructed according to this
invention.
Fig 2. is section of a single cell of same.
Fig 3. is section of one of the plates of same.
Fig 4. is section of one of the terminal plates of same.
Figs 5. and 6 are edge and side views respectively of the ebonite separators.
The same letters denote the same parts in all the figs.
a is a central sheet of lead or lead foil b is the positive paste of red lead or minium
and dilute sulphuric acid.
c is the negative paste of litharge and dilute sulphuric acid.
d is the frame of rubber celluloid or other suitable material.
ee are perforated sheets of ebonite vulcanite celluloid or other suitable material.
f are the rubber separators g are apertures therein to allow of the escape of gases.
h is the lead terminal plate. i the paste thereon. kk wire connections in metallic
contact with terminal plates which may be connected to binding screws on the wood
plates l. v v are the forked ebonite separators. m m are apertures in the plates or
boards to allow the wires k k to be brought from the plates h h to the binding
screws.
The plates or boards
are held in place by means of bolts or screws passing from
plate to plate outside the elements.
When the battery is being built up care must be taken that all the negative sides
of the plates face one way and all the positive sides the other way.
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. Plates for electrical storage batteries consisting of Pastes composed of litharge
and dilute sulphuric acid and minium or red lead and dilute sulphuric acid enclosed
in a vulcanite or other suitable non-conducting frame and between perforated sheets
of vulcanite celluloid or other suitable material substantially as hereinbefore specified
and for the purpose stated.
2. In plates for electrical storage batteries the combination of a central sheet of lead
foil with a paste composed of minium or red lead and dilute sulphuric acid on one side
thereof and a paste composed of litharge and dilute sulphuric acid on the opposite
side thereof a frame of vulcanite or other suitable material round the edges of the
compound plate and perforated sheets of vulcanite or other suitable material to prevent
disintegration of the pastes all substantially as herebefore specified.
3. Forming plates for Electrical Storage Batteries by mixing together minium or
red lead and dilute sulphuric acid and litharge and dilute sulphuric acid so as to form
pastes moulding the said pastes into plates enclosed in a suitable non-conducting
frame drying the said plates slowly and subquently enclosing the plates when dry
between perforated non-conducting sheets substantially as herein before specified and
for the purposes stated.
4. Electrical Storage batteries having the plates thereof formed of pastes of red lead
or minium and dilute sulphuric acid with or without a central sheet of lead foil,
indiarubber separating pieces between the said plates to form a cell to contain the
electrolyte and forked ebonite separators to prevent contact of the plates or of the
non-conducting perforated supporting sheets substantially as hereinbefore specified.
5. Electrical Storage Batteries constructed arranged and operating as hereinbefore
specified and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
T. E. HALFORD,
11 Furnival Street, Holborn, London, Agent for Applicant.