Improvements in and connected with Electrical Storage Batteries,
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Electrical Storage Batteries,
I, WILLIAM JOSEPH STARKEY BARBER-STARKEY of Aldenham Park,
Bridgnorth in the County of Salop, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to electrical storage batteries and its objects are to secure
economy and facility of construction and durability.
These improvements consist in a novel construction and arrangement of the
plates used in the battery cells. In these plates, a series of washers or perforated
discs or their equivalents, which are not necessarily circular in plan, are threaded
upon a suitable core to form the plate or a constituent of the plate. At present
I find it more convenient to construct the plate in the following manner. A number
of the washers or discs having been punched from sheet lead, are radially
corrugated and threaded upon a lead tube or rod, in such a manner that the
highest parts of the corrugations in a lower disc are in contact with the lowest
parts of the corrugations in the next higher disc. There are thus formed between
the washers a series of cavities which can be filled with lead oxide paste in the
usual way. If the discs be threaded upon a lead tube, this may be non-circular
and be strengthened by a wooden or vulcanite core. The threaded discs may be
suspended in the cell, so as to form "a plate" from an insulating cross bar or
support, and the several lead rods or tubes may be electrically connected, by
burning or otherwise to a connecting strip of lead which may rest upon the
insulating bar and which is in turn similarly connected with its appropriate cell
terminal. In small plates I may make the "discs" rectangular in plan with a
longitudinal perforation, and may corrugate them transversely. These are
arranged one above the other upon a flat lead plate or core which may or may
not be stiffened with wood, vulcanite, or the like.
I may obviously use any intermediate form of the discs, and instead of
corrugating them, I may provide them with fangs or projections or employ them
in combination with other means or devices so that spaces cavities or intervals are
or may be left between them, in which the lead oxide paste can be placed.
It may, in some cases be convenient to make the discs or washers radially split
to enable them more conveniently to be arranged and secured upon their
conducting support, and instead of using complete discs or washers in successive
layers, I may employ segments thereof, which may or may not be radially or
concentrically corrugated and be arranged to break pitch with each other and so
produce the interstices into which the lead oxide paste can be packed. Or, a
washer of small diameter may be threaded on the rod alternately with a washer of
larger diameter. In short, I may, by a variety of devices of an analogous character,
produce the spaces in my built up plates or plate constituents, in which to pack the
required lead oxide paste or "active material."

page_text: Improvements in and connected with Electrical Storage Batteries.
I, WILLIAM JOSEPH STARKEY BARBER-STARKEY of Aldenham Park
Bridgnorth in the County of Salop, Gentleman, 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:-
1
This invention relates to electrical, storage batteries and: its objects are to secure
economy and facility of construction and durability.
These improvements consist in a novel construction and arrangement, of the
plates used in the battery cells. A series of washers or perforated discs or their
equivalents which may or may not be circular in plan, are threaded upon a suitable
core to form the plate or a constituent of the plate. One form of plate consists
of a number of lead washers formed with corrugations or projections and threaded:
upon a lead tube or rod. There are thus formed between the washers a series of
cavities which can be filled with lead oxide paste in the usual way. The core
upon which the discs are threaded may be of any desired shape in cross section,
and if tubular may be strengthened by a wooden or vulcanite rod.
The threaded dises may be suspended in the cell, so as to form a "plate" from
an insulating cross bar or support, and the several lead rods or tubes may be
electrically connected by burning or otherwise to a connecting strip of lead which.
may rest upon the insulating support and which is in turn connected to the
appropriate cell terminal.
In small plates I may make the "discs" rectangular in plan with a longitudinal.
erforation; and may corrugate them transversely. They are arranged one above
he other upon a flat lead plate or core which may if desired be stiffened with wood,
vulcanite, or the like.
In order that my invention may be more readily understood, I have hereto
appended a sheet of drawings to which I make reference hereinafter.
Figure 1 illustrates in plan one form of washer or disc employed in the improved
plate.
Figure 2 is an illustration in elevation of several of these washers threaded upon
a lead rod or core.
Figure 3 shews the plate after the application of the lead oxide paste.
In these figures A is a washer which is slit at any suitable number of places
along the lines B and has the separated portions C turned upwards. In use these
washers may be placed upon a lead core D, where their projections C serve to keep
them apart and form spaces for the reception of the oxide paste. It is preferred
however to arrange them upon the core in the manner shewn in Figure 2. The
washers A are arranged in pairs, back to back, and between each pair is placed a
plain washer E, similar plain washers finishing off the plate at the top and the
bottom. Suitable flanges or the like F F¹ may be formed upon or combined with
the core D to hold the washers in place. The spaces between the washers are
filled with the lead' oxide paste which is securely held by or keyed with the
projections C. The finished plate is cylindrical in form as shewn by Figure 3.
In Figure 4 is shewn in plan a lead washer A having radial corrugations..
Several of these washers are placed upon a suitable core D as illustrated in
Figure and the spaces between them are filled with the paste as previously.
described. The washers are so arranged upon the core that the highest parts of
the corrugations upon one come into contact with the lowest parts of the
corrugations in the next and thus form the necessary recesses for the reception
of the paste, or if desired plain washers may be interposed between the corrugated
ones. In order to prevent angular movement of the washers upon the rod, it is
preferred to form the latter with a non-circular section and to provide the washers
with similarly shaped holes.

page_text: In the form of plate represented in Figures 6, 7. and 8 a strip of lead G is
formed with or is combined with teeth G. The strip G is placed within a slot in
the core D, which in this case may be of wood or vulcanite, and the teeth G¹ are
bent round the core to form annular projections as a substitute for the washers in
the previous figures. If the teeth are formed flat with the strip, they are, before
bending, first twisted through an angle of ninety degrees. The spaces between
the thus formed washers G' are filled with paste in the usual manner.
If the core
be of an insulating material the strip G is electrically connected to the appropriate
battery terminal.
The plates produced as hereinbefore described may be used separately or several
of them may be combined to form a compound plate.
Figure 9 illustrates several of the elementary plates combined together. They
are connected by their cores D to a strip of lead or other suitable metal H which
is connected to the appropriate terminal of the battery, and rests upon the
insulating bar or support K. This bar is shewn separately in horizontal section in
Figure 10. It is formed with slots or the like L within which the cores D may
be placed.
In order to prevent short circuiting, the plates may be arranged within the cell
with interposed insulating plates or shields. One form of insulating device is
shewn in Figure 11 where a teak frame M resting on the bottom of the cell, is
provided with slots or saw cuts within which are placed glass or other suitable
plates N which project upwards between the elements of the battery and prevent
them coming into contact with one another.
It will of course be obvious that the forms of the plates may be modified in
various ways without departing from the spirit of my invention. In one
modification for example the spaces for the reception of the paste may be produced
by inserting separate distance plate pieces between adjacent washers, and these
washers may conveniently be perforated. In another, large washers may be used
alternately with smaller ones.
Plates constructed as hereinbefore described are free from any tendency to
buckle and are especially suitable for use in cells employed for traction or which
are subjected to vibration, as the lead oxide paste is held firmly in place and
cannot become detached. The lead washers or their equivalents being very thin
soon become themselves mostly active material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A plate for electrical storage batteries, consisting of a core upon or around
which are arranged plates, washers, perforated discs or the like, substantially as
and for the purpose hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
2. In a plate for an electrical storage battery, the combination with a lead core
or support of annular or other projections or teeth, substantially as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described and as illustrated.
3. A plate for an electrical storage battery, consisting of a core or support and
washers, discs, flanges, projections, teeth or the like, which form spaces for the
reception of the lead oxide paste, constructed and arranged substantially as
herein before described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
4. Plates for electrical storage batteries constructed and arranged substantially
as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 9th day of Tanner 1906