IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY BATTERIES OR ELECTRICAL ACCUMULATORS
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1886.
Complete Left, 23rd Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 24th May, 1887.
I, ANTHONY RECKENZAUN, of 8 Osborne Road Forest Gate, London E. in the County
of Essex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN SECONDARY BATTERIES OR ELECTRICAL ACCUMULATORS, to be as follows:-
My improvements are devised with a view to overcome the disadvantages attaching to
the various types of plates which have hitherto been adopted as the elements for secondary
batteries or accumulators. Generally such battery plates have either been formed of
some metal, the surface of which becomes changed by electrolytic action; or, they
have consisted of metal frames, grids, or plates the perforations or indentations of
which are filled with suitable oxides. The most successful of the above referred to
systems comprises an arrangement of lead grids the holes of which are filled with a
tenacious oxide mixture or paste. Now if the holes in such plates are plain or parallel
then the oxide paste is apt to get loose and fall out. I am aware that grids have been
cast in such a manner that the holes presented double cones, that is to say the holes
were tapered off on each side of the plate so that the centre part was of a smaller area
than the part at the surface of the plate. But even with this arrangement last
described, the oxide paste is liable to break in two at the narrowest part, the two halves
will then become detached and drop out. These and other disadvantages inherent to
the systems of construction hitherto adopted for the plates or elements of secondary
batteries I propose to overcome by means of my present Invention in accordance with
which I construct secondary battery clements or plates in the following manner:
take a shallow tray which has previously been heated to a certain temperature and
pour molten lead into said tray. I then distribute equally all over the surface of the
liquid metal aforesaid, numerous small pieces or pellets of spongy lead or other
porous material and of any convenient shape in outline or configuration thus, as for
instance spherical, cylindrical or prismatic. Said pieces of porous material would in
the ordinary course owing to the low specific gravity relatively to that of the liquid
metal into which they are introduced float upon the surface thereof, but, to prevent
this I press them down into the molten metal by means of a well fitting lid and then
let the whole mass cool sufficiently to allow of the conglomerate plate thus produced
being removed, I may however vary the modus operandi above described by first
I

page_text: placing the small pieces of spongy lead or other porous material into the shallow
heated tray aforesaid spacing said pieces of porous material at a slight distance
apart from each other, I then cover up the tray with a lid and introduce molten metal
into the interior through a suitable orifice or through suitable orifices.
Thus, whether the small pieces of porous material are in the shape of globules or
spheres, or in that of short cylinders disposed horizontally so that their axes are
parallel to the bottom of the tray then said porous pieces will be firmly retained in
position by the surrounding molten mass of metal when the latter congeals and
contracts..
With a view to ensure the rapid and uniform distribution of the small pieces of
porous material aforesaid I may mount the tray upon a vibratory platform and the
vibration be imparted to the latter by an electro motor or other convenient means.
Dated 25th day of June 1886.
JAMES
STEVENSON,
Gray's Inn Chambers,
20, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agent for Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Secondary Batteries or Electrical Accumulators: :
I, ANTHONY RECKENZAUN, of 8 Osborne Road, Forest Gate, London, E. in the
county of Essex, 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:
My improvements are devised with a view to overcome the disadvantages attaching
to the various types of plates which have hitherto been adopted as the elements for
secondary batteries or electrical accumulators. Generally such battery plates have
either been formed of some metal, the surface of which becomes changed by electro-
lytic action; or, they have consisted of metal frames, grids, or plates, the perforations
or indentations of which being filled with suitable oxides. The most successful of the
above referred to systems comprises an arrangement of lead grids the holes of which
are filled with a tenacious oxide mixture or paste. Now, if the holes in such plates are
plain or parallel, then the oxide paste is apt to get loose and fall out. I am aware that
grids have been cast in such a manner that the holes presented a formation of double
conical apertures, that is to say tapered off on each side of the plate so that the
central part of the aperture was of a smaller area than the part at the outside surfaces
of the plate; but even then the oxide paste is liable to break in two at the narrowest
part and the two halves of the oxide plugging will then become detached and drop
out. Further, I am also aware that grids have been devised having grooves and
corrugations; and, likewise that frames or grids have been devised consisting of
metal wire, woven, braided or plaited, the interstices of the reticulated device being
packed with oxide paste, spongy precipitated lead or grániles, or filaments of lead.
Here again however under these two arrangements last above described, the oxide
paste is liable to break in the middle, become detached, and drop out,-in the cases of
the grids having grooved or corrugated perforation, and, under the reticulated device
above mentioned to fall away from the interstices. These and other disadvantages
inherent to the systems of construction hitherto adopted for the plates of secondary
or electrical storage batteries I proposo to overcome by means of my present Invention
in accordance with which I proceed as follows :-
I take a shallow tray which has previously been sufficiently heated and I introduce
thereinto molten metal-preferably lead or suitable alloy thercof-I then distribute
equally all over the surface of the liquid metal aforesaid, numerous small pieces or
pellets of spongy or finely divided lead or other suitable material possessing the
requisite of porosity and of any convenient shape in outline or configuration; thus,
for instance cylindrical, spherical, or prismatic. Said pieces of porous material would
in the ordinary course, owing to the low specific gravity relatively to that of the
liquid metal into which they are introduced, float upon the surface thereof; but, to
prevent this, I press them down into the molten metal by means of a well fitting lid
and then let the whole mass cool sufficiently to allow of the conglomerate plate thus
produced being removed.

page_text: I may however vary the "modus operandi " above described, by first placing the small
pieces of
lead
spongy or other porous material into the shallow heated tray aforesaid,
spacing said pieces of porous material at a slight distance apart from each other, I
then cover up the tray with a lid and introduce molten metal into the interior through
a suitable orifice or through suitable orifices.
Thus, whether the small pieces of porous material are in the shape of globules, or
spheres, or in that of short cylinders disposed horizontally so that their axes are
parallel to the bottom of the tray, then said porous pieces will be firmly retained in
position by the surrounding molten mass of metal when the latter congeals and
contracts. The resultant conglomerate plate which I am enabled to produce according
to my Invention will further possess the twofold advantages, consisting on the one
hand of immunity from deterioration in regard to the valuable property of porosity,
whilst on the other hand secondary plates so formed will be found to be, as a whole,
of considerably increased strength structurally to those hitherto devised and not liable
to become altered from their normal outline or configuration as for instance would
occur as I have found in actual working—by becoming bent or buckled.
With a view to ensure the rapid and uniform distribution of the small pieces of
porous material aforesaid, I may mount the tray upon a vibratory platform and the
vibration be imparted to the latter by an electro-motor or other convenient means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that as I
am aware it has already been proposed to produce combination secondary battery
plates by pouring lead into grooves formed in single blocks of finely divided lead I
make no claim in respect thereof; but I declare that what I claim is :-
In the production of the plates of secondary batteries or electrical accumulators
the use or employment of small pieces of porous substances or materials embedded in
molten metal and without necessitating the employment of perforated plates, grids,
reticulated or other separate receiving and containing devices of any kind,
substantially as herein set forth.