Improved Means for Supporting and Separating the Plates of Electric Accumulators.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1890-Accepted, 14th June, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION..
Improved Means for Supporting and Separating the Plates of
Electric Accumulators.
--
J, ROOKES EVELYN BELL CROMPTON of Mansion House Buildings in the City of
London Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to the means of supporting and separating the plates of
electric accumulators.
For this purpose, in place of the continuous bars or rolls usually placed on the
bottoms of the containing cells and on which the accumulator plates usually rest, I
provide double sets of supporting bars arranged as follows:-The plates in the cell
rest on two lines of supports, each line of supports consist of two bars placed at con-
venient distance apart and notched on their upper surface to receive the plates in alternate
order so that the whole of the positives rest on one bar and the negatives on the other
bar. When viewed from the side the edges of these bars are cut away between the
notches, so that the alternate plates pass over them and clear of any possible contact
with them.
The connecting pieces which separate the two bars in relation to one another are
so arranged that in every case vertical surfaces only on which no deposit can rest
are interposed between the notches which carry the two sets of plates. The object of
this is to avoid the loss caused by leakages of the electric current through any layer
of deposit of a conducting nature which is liable to accumulate on any horizontal or
nearly horizontal surface.
In some cases where it is desirable to spread as much as possible the weight of the
lead plates over a large surface of the bottom of the containing cell, I form the bottoms
of the double bars into feet which may consist of material of a springy nature so that
when the total weight is brought on to these supports it is spread over the whole sur-
face covered by the feet. This is a special advantage in glass cells which are not well
adapted to carry heavy weights without risk of fracture.
In some cases I form the bars themselves of comparatively considerable depth and
small thickness and to prevent the sharp edges of the notches cutting into the lead of
the plates, I fix a small shoe of insulating materials in the notch.
<<
"
To separate and steady the upper edges of the accumulator piates I can use any con-
venient form of separator of the "Comb" or Hairpin " form as described in Specifica-
tion No. 6681 of 1887 the materials for these separators "Combs " ог Hairpins
may be vulcanized rubber, cellulose, glass, vitrite, porcelain, celluloid, xylonite, or any
material of similar nature provided it is nonconducting and resists the action of the
electrolyte and possesses sufficient mechanical strength and elasticity.
Dated thin 15th L 1000
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Supporting and Separating the Plates of
Electric Accumulators.
I, ROOKES EVELYN BELL CROMPTON of Mansion House Buildings, in the City of
London, 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 :-
My improvements relate to means for supporting and separating the plates of electric
accumulators.

page_text: bottoms of the containing cells and on which the accumulator plates usually rest I
provide double sets of supporting bars constructed and arranged as illustrated on the
accompanying drawing in which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of an accumulator battery showing the supports the
cell or vessel being in section.
Figure 2 is a plan view of same but with portions removed.
Figure 3 is a left hand end elevation the cell or vessel being in section and
Figure 4 is a perspective view on a smaller scale.
The supports consist of double rails a b connected at intervals by bars c said rails
being mounted on base plates A which rest on the floor of the cell or vessel B. The
underside of these plates I prefer to hollow as indicated by dotted lines or cut away
so that they will rest at two points only on the floor of the cell which is of advantage
in the matter of stability when the floor is uneven as it frequently is when the cell is
constructed of glass, besides distributing the weight over the bottom of same. Two
or more supports of this nature are placed at a suitable distance apart on the floor of
the cell. The supports with their base plate and bars c are made of some insulating
material such as vulcanised rubber, cellulose, glass, vitrite, porcelain, celluloid, xylonite,
or any material of similar nature provided it is nonconducting, resists the
action of the electrolyte and possesses sufficient mechanical strength and elasticity.
The rails a b have notches d formed therein for the reception of the plates E and E¹
and between said notches the rails are cut away as shown at e the notches on one rail
being arranged to come opposite to the cut away portions on the other.
In this way the negative plates E' for instance will rest in the notches d d of the
rails a a of either support and pass over the cut away portions e e of the rails bb of
the other supports while the positive plates E will rest in the notches d d of the
rails bb and pass over the cut away portions e e of the rails a a.
From the shape given to the cut away portions e of the rails a bit will be seen that
the accumulation of any deposit from the plates is prevented by the almost vertical
surfaces of the sides of same so that no loss is caused by leakage of the electric current
through any layer of deposit of a conducting nature piling up against the plate of
the opposite pole next in order which deposit is liable to accumulate on any horizontal
or nearly horizontal surface.
In some cases the rails of the supports need not be made of an insulating material
but a small shoe of insulating material only may be fixed in each of the notches d.
To separate and steady the upper edges of the plates E and E' I may employ comb
shaped bars F F the teeth f of which pass down between the plates. These separators F
may be formed of similar insulating materials to that of the supports, or the
Hairpin" separators may be employed as described in Specification No. 6681 of
1887. The number of teeth or projections in each length of comb may be varied as
desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. For the plates of electric accumulators the use of two or more supports each
consisting of a pair of rails a 6 having notches & and cut away portions e substantially
as described.
2nd. For the plates of electric accumulators the use of two or more supports
mounted upon curved supporting feet substantially as set forth.
3rd. For the plates of electric accumulators the use of two or more supports for the
bottom of the plates and one or more comb shaped bars for separating the tops thereof
substantially as described.
D
R. E. B. CROMPTON.
Philip M. Justice,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agent for the Applicant.