Improvements in Secondary Batteries.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan, 1898-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
Improvements in Secondary Batteries.
I, GUSTAVE PHILIPPART, of 26, Rue Jouffroy, Paris, in the Republic of France,
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:-
1.
My invention relates to an improved method of constructing the electrodes of
electric accumulators, which whilst ensuring a better maintenance of the active
mass may serve to facilitate or develop the electrolytic actions of the secondary
battery.
The invention consists essentially in arranging around the active or porous sub-
stance a sort of sheath or flexible continuous casing that is to say a non-rigid one
presenting as a whole a certain elasticity. In general this This casing or sheath will
be formed of a large number of washers simply placed one upon the other leaving
between them an equivalent number of interstices between which the liquid may
easily pass in order to come in contact with the active mass.
The casing which I employ forms so to speak a continuous protective sleeve for the
solid active substance whilst presenting numerous points of passage or interstices for
the liquid. This sleeve has the advantage of being capable of being brought into
intimate contact with the mass and of thus ensuring the maintenance in a perfect
manner. The washers which may be of various natures as bereinafter set forth
always allow an electrolytic action to be freely exercised through their interstices and
enable in certain cases the metallic surface of the electrode to be considerably
increased.
In the accompanying drawings, which are on an enlarged scale, the general
arrangement of an electrode of an accumulator arranged on my improved system is
shown. In Figure 1, for instance, A is a conducting support of lead, antimonious
lead, aluminium or the like. B is the porous substance or active mass (salts and
oxides of lead) which rests on an enlarged or widened part A¹ of the support. C indi-
cates the superposed washers forming a casing or porous vessel around the active
mass. It is of course evident that the support, the column of active substance and
the washers may have transversely any suitable form whether rounded or angular, and
that the washers may be flat or corrugated or be bevelled or conical as shown in
Figures 4 and 4*, C¹ Figure 4ª being one of these washers seen in perspective. The
thickness of the washers may vary within wide limits, for instance from 1/100 mm.
to 3 mm. In any case owing to their being simply placed one on the other they
.

page_text: form a porous vessel intended to prevent the disintegration of the active sub-
stance B.
These washers as regards their constitution may be of any suitable insulating
material such as celluloid, glass, ebonite, fibre, caoutchouc or the like in which case
they only form the porous vessel desired, or they may equally well be made of a con-
ducting substance such as lead, antimonious lead, aluminium or the like. In the
latter case the porous vessel will have in addition the property of imparting to the
battery an extraordinarily large metallic surface which in certain cases is of great
importance.
Conducting and non-conducting washers may also be used in combination or
intermixed, that is to say that it is possible to place alternately one on the other
non-conducting and conducting washers either separately or in groups and in a
variable order according to the work which is to be attained.
In the case of conducting washers, it may be convenient to cause them to alternate
with washers of a substance attacked by acids in order to form recesses which after the
first formation may be filled or otherwise by the active substance.
In the modification shown in Figure 2, A is the conducting support and D the
metallic washers, the interstices of which are filled or otherwise with active substance
such as salts and oxides of lead. C represents washers of insulating material forming
the porous vessel.
Figure 3 shows another modification in which the metallic support properly so
called is dispensed with or reduced to its simplest form. B is a cylinder of active
substance; B2 is the outer current connection made of suitable metal. C are the
washers or series of insulated or metallic washers.
The current connection inay also be effected by a simple wire B³ placed in the
centre of the cylinder.
Batteries thus formed may be considered as electrodes and those of the same name
may be connected with one another in the most favourable manner horizontally or
vertically in order to form an accumulator.
.
The batteries may also be connected by brazing, soldering or the like in variable
number in order to form for instance plates.
I may also-form-the-porous and protective-sleeve-by-a-spiral-of suitable-section,
such as-is shown in Figure-5, of an-insulating or-conducting-material. This spiral
which is-wound-around-the-active substance forms-a-continuous protective-sleeve
around-the came-whilst leaving--between-its--spirals-sufficient interstices for the
passage-of-the-liquid. The electrolytic action is thus always permitted to come into
action-whilet-the-active-substance-is protected against any-disintegration.
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. The improvements in secondary batteries or electric [accumulators herein before
described, consisting in the arrangement around the active mass previously placed on
the electrode of a casing or protecting sheath flexible and non-rigid and so to speak
elastic forming around and in contact with the active substance a continuous sleeve
the porosity of which results from the mobility of the various solid elements of the
said sleeve relative to one another, the said sleeve thus preventing disintegration of
the active substance whilst leaving between its parts numerous intervals or interstices
for the passage of the liquid, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to
the drawings set forth.
2. The mode of construction of electrodes of accumulators of the kind described
characterized by a simple elastic protective sleeve being formed by means of super-
posed washers of a flat, truncated, or corrugated shape formed of insulated or con-
ducting material or alternately of insulated and conducting material substantially as
herein before described.
3. The mode of construction of the electrodes of accumulators of the kind

page_text: described characterized by a simple-elastic protective sleeve-being formed by means of
a-spiral-or-helix of conducting or insulating-material-wound round-the-active-sub-
stance-previously deposited-or-arranged on the-electrode, substantially-as-herein
before-described.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.