OR IMPROVED CONSTRUCTIONS OF ELECTRODES FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY BATTERIES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOSEPH SAMUEL BEEMAN of 44 St Oswalds Road, West Brompton, Middlesex
Engineer and Electrician do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
NEW OR IMPROVED CONSTRUCTIONS OF ELECTRODES FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
BATTERIES to be as follows:-
"
"
One object of my invention is to overcome the short circuiting in batteries
caused through the expansion of electrodes.
Another object is to obtain a low internal resistance and yet at the same time
have sufficient space for the proper proportion of the electrolyte and that the
electrolyte shall be in free communication with the surface to be acted upon.
Another object is that all parts of the electrode shall have as equal as possible
discharging or charging resistance.
Another object is that the electrode shall be sufficiently strong with a minimum
of material to bear its own weight.
One way in which I carry my invention into practice so as to fulfil these objec's
is to take a suitable and convenient plate either flat or furnished with arms or
wings or suitable projections either simply or folded together and then by the aid
of a saw or saws or saw like tool cut or divide one or more of the edges or arms or
projections into a fringe or hair comb like design the portions forming this fringe
being joined together through the continuous conductor at one extremity but have
the other extremity free to move.
c
The reason why I use saws or saw like tools to divide my plate or plates up into
the fringe instead of casting or moulding the plate into this fringe form, is to
obtain the roughened surface for according to the tool employed so is the amount
of roughness produced.
Another way in which I carry the before mentioned objects into effect is to take
say a disc of metal that I propose to construct the electrode out of and place this
in a surfacing lathe, then with a suitable tool I cut from this disc a tape having
one or both sides roughened or cellulated. This tape I divide into a suitable
number of equal lengths and place these lengths one above the other I either burn.
them or rivet or otherwise fasten together so as to form a continuous conductor
and the lengths so fastened together shall form either one or more fringes or hair,
comb like designs.

page_text: 1 "
It will be understood that if the plate is " thick and the saw cuts are 3.
apart that the portions forming the fringe they being 3" wide and 1" thick will
on expanding preferably move either up or down in the direction of the length of
the plate particularly when guided by glass or other nonconducting rods which
I propose using to separate following electrodes.
I do not limit myself to using the portions forming the fringe always of the
same thickness nor need they always be straight as electrodes may be made with
the fringe having every alternate piece thick and thin or straight and corrugated
or any other convenient form.
I do not limit myself to any design of electrode for there are numbers of ways
in which a continuous conductor can be arranged having at various parts or posi-
tions on or along its arms or projections. These arms or projections consisting of
thin pieces of the material of the same substance as the conductor of which they
form a part, or to which they are fastened or joined and having their extremity
or extremities free to move thus forming fringe or hair comb like designs.
When and where convenient I purpose covering the conductor with an insulating
medium so that it shall not be acted on by the electrolyte.

page_text: I JOSEPH SAMUEL BEEMAN of 44 St Oswalds Road, West Brompton, Middlesex'
Engineer and Electrician do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"NEW OR IMPROVED CONSTRUCTIONS OF ELECTRODES FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
BATTERIES and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
"
One object of my invention is to overcome the short circuiting in batteries
caused through the expansion of electrodes.
Another object is to obtain a low internal resistance and yet at the same time
have sufficient space for the proper proportion of the electrolyte and that the
electrolyte shall be in free communication with the surface to be acted upon.
Another object is that all parts of the electrode shall have as nearly equal as
possible discharging or charging resistance.
Another object is that the electrode shall be sufficiently strong with a minimum
of material to bear its own weight.
One way in which I carry my invention into practice so as to obtain these
objects is to take a suitable and convenient. plate, either flat or furnished with
arins or wings or suitable projections either simply or folded together and then by
the aid of a saw or saws or saw like tool cut or divide one or more of the edges or
arms or projections into a fringe or hair comb like design, the portions forming
this fringe being jointed together through the continuous conductor at one extremity
but have the other extremity free to move.
The reason I use saws or saw like tools to divide my plate or plates up into the
fringe instead of casting or moulding the plate into this fringo form, is to obtain
the roughened surface, for according to the. tool employed so is the amount of
roughness produced.
16
It will be understood that if the plate is 36" thick and the saw cuts are 31"
apart that the portions forming the fringe, they being "wide and " thick,
will on expanding preferably move either up or down in the direction of the length
of the plate, particularly when guided by glass or other nonconducting rods which
I propose using to separate the following electrodes.
I do not limit myself to using the portions forming the fringe always of the
same thickness, nor need they be always straight; as electrodes may be made with
the fringe having every alternate piece thick and thin or straight and corrugated or
any other convenient form.
I do not limit nyself to any design of electrode for there are numbers of ways
in which a continuous conductor can be arranged having at various parts or positions
on or along it arms or projections.

page_text: These arms or projections consisting of thin pieces of the material of the same
substance as the conductor of which they form a part or to which they are joined
and having their extremity or extremities free to move, thus forming fringe or bair
comb like designs.
.
My new or improved construction of electrodes will be understood by reference
to the annexed drawings and the following description thereof.
Figure 1 represents a face view, a plan, and an edge view of one form of my
improved electrodes in which the teeth or comb like fringe is produced by saw
cuts from the edge A to the shoulder or continuous conductor B where solid metal
is left to give rigidity to the teeth or fringe. The saw cuts are not continued for
the length of the plate but a solid end C is left forming a foot on which the teeth
in superposed layers may be supported, the ends of the teeth being squeezed or
compressed by a hammer or flattening tool on one or on both sides to cause their
ends to rest upon and be in contact with one another so that each tooth may bear
or assist to bear its own weight and those above and so as to leave interstices
between the several teeth which are thus kept apart..
The upper end of the continuous conductor B may have an overhanging lip B¹
by which the electrode can be suspended by said lip engaging or taking over the
upper edge, or supporting bar, of the box or vessel in which it is placed. Any
number of electrodes thus constructed can be inserted into a box or vessel supported
on alternate sides and alternately with suitable insulating medium or mediumis D
between to keep the. several electrodes apart yet permit of free circulation of the
liquid in which they are immersed.
The fringe produced with roughened faces by saw cuts may be on both sides of
the conductor B as an intermediate solid portion and instead of having feet only
solid, intermediate solid portions C2 C3 may be left in the electrode as shown at
Figure 2 and be suspended from convenient and suitable rods from about the centre
of the top edge or other convenient part of the box or vessel.
The plate of metal before being sawn according to either of the above mentioned
methods may have furrows or grooves E rolled, stamped or cast on or in their faces
as at Figure 3 for the reception of glass or other insulating tubes or rods D as
shown in plan Figures 1 and 3 for keeping the electrodes at the respective distance
apart.
The squeezed portions of the teeth need not be at the edge or end of the teeth.
as before mentioned but may be at one or more places intermediate of the length.
of the teeth so that each tooth is supported or held upon the other where the
squeezing has been effected.
According to another novel construction which I show at Figure 4 I use a plate
with parallel series of apertures and saw through the apertures in order to forin a
toothed or serrated comb like fringe.
Figure. 5 is a perspective view. of one of my sawn electrodes showing the
roughened surface.
I do not limit myself to the use of lead as I may use any other suitable or
convenient metal or material in place thereof according to the purpose for which
I require the electrodes whether for primary or secondary batteries.
It is obvious in combination with the above forms that I can use packing of salts
or finely divided particles of the material of which the electrode is formed.
I do not claim the use of comb or brush like electrodes per sé but only when
made in accordance with my heretofore described invention, arranged interlocking
with one another.
-
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
First The construction of electrodes for primary and secondary batteries in the
several manners set forth in the description, as shown and arranged in the drawings

page_text: in which the comb like fringe with roughened faces are produced by saw cuts as
set forth.
Secondly So arranging or constructing comb like teeth of Electrodes that they
are capable of bearing their own weight among themselves as described and
substantially as shown.