Improvements in Voltaic Batteries.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Voltaic Batteries.
I, THOMAS JOHN JONES of 12 Princes Street Hanover Square in the County of
Middlesex, Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:
In voltaic batteries wherein the elements are in the form of plates or masses of
active material, it is generally found necessary to employ loose or independent
strips, wedges, distance pieces or clips made of some sufficiently rigid material to
maintain the elements in position when arranged in the cell. As these pieces must
not be liable to be affected by electrolysis, it has been heretofore usual to make
them of hardwood, ebonite glass or equivalent material, but the employment of
pieces made of such materials has been unsatisfactory, because although they are
inoxidizable they are nevertheless liable to become disintegrated and are either
perfectly rigid or at all events do not possess that amount of elasticity which is
necessary to enable them to compensate for the expansion and contraction of the
elements.
My invention is designed to overcome these objections and it consists in
combining a steel or other spring with an inoxidizable insoluble substance so that
the wedge, clip or other piece shall be elastic and yet electro-negative and con-
sequently not liable to be affected by the electrolytical action. To this end the
spring is entirely embedded or covered by the inoxidisable and insoluble substance,
which is moulded around it when in a plastic state. The substances which I prefer
to employ for the purpose are celluloid, and algin or alginic acid, either alone or
in combination with other substances, as they are perfectly insoluble and can be
applied to or moulded around the spring without difficulty.
Dated this Orth day of Cantamba- 100K

page_text: I THOMAS JOHN JONES of 12 Princes Street Hanover Square in the County of
Middlesex, 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:-
In voltaic batteries wherein the elements are in the form of plates or masses of
active material, it is generally found necessary to employ loose or independent
strips, wedges, distance pieces, or clips, made of some sufficiently rigid material, to
maintain the elements in position when arranged in the cell. As these pieces must
not be liable to be affected by electrolysis it has heretofore been usual to make
them of hard-wood, ebonite, glass, or equivalent material, but the employment of
pieces made of such materials has been unsatisfactory because although they are
inoxidizable they are nevertheless liable to become disintegrated and are either
perfectly rigid or at all events do not possess that amount of elasticity which is
necessary to enable them to yield and allow of the free expansion of the elements.
My Invention is designed to overcome these objections; and it consists in a clip,
distance piece, or equivalent appliance made of metal wholly covered with an
insulating, inoxidizable, and insoluble material in any of the ways hereafter
described so that the appliance shall be electrolytically inert and consequently not
liable to be affected by the electrolytical action, the appliance being made of Buch
form as to be suited to its intended purpose and possess the necessary elasticity to
allow of expansion of the elements.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification which represent in elevation and cross section examples of different
forms of elastic, inoxidizable, clips, and distance pieces, constructed according to
one method of my Invention and adapted by their form for use in various positions
in a battery for fixing the elements in position therein. Figures 1. 2. and 3. show
clips of different forms that shown in figure 1 being adapted also for use as a
wedge or distance piece. Figures 4 and 5 show distance pieces.
In figures 1. 2. and 3 a piece of spring steel or other spring sheet metal a after
being brought to the intended form is covered with the inoxidizable and insoluble
insulating substance 6 which is applied by being moulded around the metal when
in a plastic state or it may be applied in the form of sheets to the surface of the
metal, the sheets being in a softened and pliable condition so as to enable them to
readily conform to the shape of the article to be covered and the parts joined
together at the seams by the aid of a solvent, the plastic sheets being made to
conform to the shape of the article and the seams closed by the aid of heat and
pressure applied by metal moulds or dies, care being taken to entirely envelop the
metal so as to prevent all access of the electrolytic liquid thereto.
The appliances represented in figures 4 and 5 are intended for use as distance
pieces only. That shown in figure 4 is a sheet of metal a corrugated to give it the
desired effective thickness and resiliency, and that shown in figure 5 is a sheet of
metal having V or other shaped pieces partially severed or punched out of the
body of the sheet, the partially severed or punched out portions being bent
4P
BQ

page_text: as to stand out from the plane of the sheet at one or both faces thereof alternately
or otherwise. They thus form resilient abutting portions whose free ends are
preferably all directed one way so as to facilitate the introduction of the distance
pieces between the elements of the battery, the holes left by the partial removal
of such portions permitting the free circulation of the electrolytic liquid.
The material which I prefer to employ for this purpose is celluloid. It can be
applied to or moulded around the metal in the manner above described without
any difficulty. The inoxidizable, insulating, covering, would usually be applied
after the metal is brought to the finished form desired. Instead of using sheet
metal, I may use wire and cover it with celluloid in the manner of covering a
telegraphic wire or otherwise, and then give the coated wire a permanent "set"
by coiling it into a spiral or other form adapted to answer the purpose of elastic
distance pieces whilst the coating is in a heated and plastic condition, the ends of
the wire being of course sealed over with the insulating material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed; I declare that what
I claim is;-
1. The manufacture of spring clips, wedges, distance-pieces, or equivalent
appliances, to be used for maintaining the elements in position in a galvanic
battery, of sheet metal wholly covered or enveloped with an insulating, inoxidizable,
and insoluble, substance, such as celluloid as herein described.
2. The various forms of celluloid-coated sheet-metal spring clips and distance
pieces, substantially as herein described and shown in the drawings for the purpose
specified.
3. The manufacture of distance pieces, for the purpose described, of celluloid-
coated wire coiled to a spiral or other form adapted to the purpose.