Improvements in Secondary Batteries.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 31st Oct., 1898-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1899
Improvements in Secondary Batteries.
I, JOIN VAUGHAN SHERRIN, of 29, St. George's Square, Regents Park, in the
County of Middlesex, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
In Sherrin and Sherrin's Patent Specification 16516 of 1896 is described a
new form of secondary battery element or electrode in which a helical strip of
ebonite or other suitable springy nonconducting material is wound helically
round a conductor with a central core, or round a conductor forming a core,
the active material being placed in the interstices between the windings of the
helical strip and flush with the outside thereof. By this construction the helical
strip expands and contracts with the expansion and contraction of the active
material, and there is no permanent displacement of the particles of the suid
material and consequently no permanent or gradual diminution in the contact
between the material and the conductor. My present improvements go in the
same direction. I make the outer helical strip of some suitable springy con-
ducting acid resisting material or conducting material coated with an acid
resisting material, and for this purpose may employ for instanco steel, hard
brass, or other suitable springy metal or alloy coated with platinum or other
acid resisting material. The conductor may be one or more wires or strips
of lead straight or helical or other suitable form. If I use a central core inside
of the conductor or conductors I may make it as a solid or hollow rod by
preference of nonconducting material. If I make the core and conductor in
one I may make it of a cruciform or ribbed shape, or what practically comes
to the same thing, tubular with straight or slanting ribs or a helical rib. When
the outer helical strip is made of ebonite or other suitable springy non con-
ducting material or of springy conducting material the core may be a rod or
tube of conducting material and I prefer to place loosely thereon a number of
rings with slight play between each other and arrange the helical or other
conductor or conductors around them: the rings are by preference of ebonite
and serve to give the interior parts of the active material freedom to expand
and contract the rings following such motions. Sometimes I make the electrodes
in the form of a thin plate or conductor of lead and provide it on each side
with one or more serpentine shaped coils of ebonite or other springy noncon-
ducting material, the active material being flush with the outside thereof; the
plate has by preference thin longitudinal straight or slanting ribs for retaining
the active material normally in place but which permit the material to freely
slide along them while expanding and contracting. The serpentine coils have
the same office as the aforesaid helical strip on the bar shaped electrode. Or
the serpentine coils may be of springy conducting material either acid resisting
in itself or coated with an acid resisting material. The coils are held in place
by rings or loops of rubber or the like which also may serve to insulate the
electrodes from each other.
The aforesaid helical and serpentine strips may be applied to other forms of

page_text: core or conductor than those here more specially described. The strips are by
preference attached at one end to the core or conductor and free at the other.
Dated this 20th Joy of Tan 1808
Amprove comary Datteries.
I, JOHN VAUGHAN SHERRIN, of 29, St. George's Square, Regents Park, in the
County of Middlesex, 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:-
In Sherrin and Sherrin's Patent Specification 16516 of 1896 is described a
new form of secondary battery element or electrode in which a helical strip
of ebonite or other suitable spingy nonconducting material is wound helically
round a conductor with a central core or round a conductor forming a core,
the active material being placed in the interstices between the windings of the
helical strip and flush with the outside thereof. By this construction the helical
strip expands and contracts with the expansion and contraction of the active
material, and there is no permanent displacement of the particles of the said
material and consequently no permanent or gradual diminution in the contact
between the material and the conductor.
My present improvements go in the same direction.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view and Fig. 2 a cross section
of one such form of electrode, in which A is a core, by preference of noncon- 2
ducting material as for instance chonite; Fig. 3 is a section showing a hollow
core A. The conductor is in this instance shown as consisting of three lead
wires B, and the outer springy helical strip C made of conducting material for
instance of an alloy of lead and antimony is shown wound in the opposite
direction to that of the conductor wires B, as I prefer it in order to hold the 8
active material while also subdividing it but it might be wound in the same
direction. The springy helix C should at one end be connected to the conductor
wires B, thus forming as it were part of the sume. The electrode thus far
made is then filled with active material flush with the outside of the springy
strip C and then provided with pieces for preventing conductive contact with 3
the adjoining electrodes while permitting the exciting liquid access to the active
material: I may thus for instance place two or more rings 1) of rubber or the
like on it; or I may lap helically round it an entirely covering strip D' of
perforated celluloid, as shown in Fig. 4.
If I make the core and conductor in one as shown at B in the side view Fig. 5 4
and plan section Fig. 6 I may make it of a cruciform or ribbed section the ribs
being straight, or by preference helical as shown; or the central part may be
tubular as shown in Fig. 7 provided with straight or by preference helical ribs.
Also in these cases I prefer to run the helix O of springy conducting material
in the opposite direction to that of the conductor core B. I provide the electrode 4
with rings D or celluloid helical strip D' as described with reference to Figs. 1
to 4.
When the outer helical strip is made of ebonite or other suitable springy
nonconducting material or of suitable springy conducting material, the core A
may as shown in the side view Fig. 8 be a rod (or tube) A of conducting 5
material say of lead or by preference of an alloy of lead and antimony to give

page_text: a certain stiffness and upon this core I place loosely and with spaces between a
number of rings C¹ of ebonite or the like, and fill in the active material between
them flush with their outside. In this arrangement I also aim at giving the
active material a needed amount of freedom to expand; at each end I fix a piece
of rubber tube C acting as a cushion for aiding the rings C¹ and the active
material in contracting to resume their original position.
Or as shown in Fig. 9 I employ the helical ebonite strip C for producing the
same action as the pieces of rubber tube C Fig. 8.
In the longitudinal section Fig. 10 and plan section Fig. 11 is shown a lead
conductor 3 consisting of a central zigzag bar and two side pieces united thereto
and having the side pieces cut open by slits B₁ at intervals whereby a certain
elasticity is offorded, if the conductor is made of a springy material as for
instance an alloy of lead and antimony. The helical strip C is wound round it:
if made of ebonite or the like the electrode need not have a celluloid or other
nonconducting perforated strip such as D¹ Fig. 4 lapped round it but if the strip C
is made of conducting material some such means would be necessary or otherwise
a ring of ebonite or the like such as D Fig. 1 should be put on at the top
and at the bottom for preventing conductive contact between two such adjoining
electrodes.
Obviously this kind of electrode need not be made in the bar form shewn
but might be made in the form of a plate.
:
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 electrode described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 consisting of
a central core A conducting wires B wound helically round it, a helix C of
springy conducting material around the wires B the active material flush with
the helix C and outer rings D or a helical strip 1) of nonconducting
material.
2. The electrode described with reference to Figs. 5, 6 and 7 consisting of a
ribbed conductor core B, a helix C of springy conducting material around the
same the active material flush with the helix C and outer rugs D or a helical
strip of nonconducting material.
3. The electrode described with reference to Fig. 8 consisting of a conductor
core A, rings C¹ of ebonite or the like placed at intervals thereon: the active
material flush with the said rings and a rubber ring or cushion C at each end.
4. The electrode described with reference to Fig. 9 consisting of a conductor
care A, rings C¹ of ebonite or the like placed at intervals thereon, the active.
material flush with the said rings, and an outer springy helix C of ebonite
or the like.
5. The electrode described with reference to Figs 10 and 11 consisting of a
conductor core B made of springy conducting material and provided with slits B',
an outer springy helix C of ebonite or the like, and rings D of ebonite around
the same at top and bottom.
6. The electrode described with reference to Figs. 10 and 11 consisting of a
conductor core B made of springy conducting material and provided with slits B',
an outer helix C of springy conducting material and rings D of ebonite around the
same at top and bottom, or else a helical strip D¹ of nonconducting material.
Dated this 31st day of October 1900
.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Patent Agents.