Improvements in Secondary Batteries.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th 4pr., 1889-Accepted, 13th July, 1889
4
Improvements in Secondary Batteries.
We, CHARLES BARNARD ASKEW, electrician, of 3205 Cottage Grove Avenue, in
the City of Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America,
and JAMES KENT PUMPELLY, electrician, of 288 Illinois Street, in the City of
Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, United States of America,
do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
In constructing secondary batteries, one of the objects is to so arrange the series
of alternating negative and positive metal conductors that as great, a surface as
possible is exposed to the electrolitic action, and another object is to preserve and
prevent the dislodgement of the active agent from said conductors. According to
the success met with in the accomplishment of these objects is the battery effective and
durable.
It has been customary to connect these plates together in various ways and by
various appliances, most of which are comparatively complex, and expensive and often
interfere, to a great extent, with the free passage of the electric current. The most
common way is to solder the plates together, or, to so burn them as to unite the
contiguous portions of corresponding plates, and make a single pole or electrode.
Other ways require some intermediate device, attached to and connecting the plates
Soldering and burning the contiguous portions of the plates together too often causes
a faulty contact, and the intermediary devices referred to must be mechanically
accurate, and their contact surface clean and perfect in order to be good conductors.
As a consequence greater or less resistance is offered to the passage of the current, and
the efficiency of the battery and the current carrying capacity of the electrodes is
materially reduced.
Regarding the active material it is a well known fact that considerable time and
engenuity has been spent to prevent its dislodgement from the perforations of the metal
conductors, which it usually plugs up. The diglodgement from said perforations is
likely to take place no matter what purpose the batteries are used for, but this is
particularly the case when used for street cars, railway cars, and the like, because of
the continual jolting and jarring to which they are subjected.
To prevent this dislodgement we have conceived of the idea of separating the metal
conductors containing the active material, (usually oxide of lead) by sheets or plates
of some porous material, preferably asbestos, and we form these sheets on one side
In the
of a configuration to fit said conductors and the active material thereon.
instance shown it is flat for this purpose while the other side of the sheets or plates
are provided with ribs or projections made integral with the sheets or by some
other configuration or device so as to furnish a means for the circulation of the
solution.
In order to avoid the objections arising from the imperfect separation and connection
of the plates, or metal conductors of a battery. we provide a new construction of,
and manner of connecting said plates which obviate the objections raised, which are
simple, effective and cheap, and which, together with the means for preventing the
dislodgement of the active material from said plates make a perfect battery,
substantially as hereinafter fully described and as fully illustrated in the drawings in
which :-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved batteries showing a portion of them
broken away.
Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section through a portion of a cell, and
2 on a datask wow of the devrees internosed between the metal conductors.

page_text: Referring to the drawings A, A, represents the metal conductors of the battery,
of the usual and well known material and form, cast or otherwise formed, preferably,
integral with the body of these conductors, near one side is a laterally projecting
lug B, and in the edge of each conductor opposite that from which lug B, projects, is
a cut away portion, or recess, C, the contours of which conform to, but are slightly
greater than the base of the lugs The cell is so built that the lug B, of the
negative conductors, project laterally through the recess in the complementary
conductors of the positive electrode, and vice versa, thus, the lugs of the negative
conductors are all on one side and those of the positive conductors are on the other
side of the cell.
The lugs B, are provided with a central opening through them, which extends
through the conductors from which they project, and to connect the said conductors
the end of the lug of one conductor connects with the next conductor of the same
electrode so as to make an intimate and close contact between them, as shown.
In order to more securely hold the corresponding plates together, as well as to
furnish a means for producing an intimate contact between the plates through the
lugs and recesses, we, preferably, use a rod F, which is arranged to pass through the
openings in the lugs and may be provided with any usual means for tightening and
holding the plates thereto, as indicated, as by a head and screw, or it may be rigidly
secured to one of the conductors and furnish a support for the others.
Rod F, is preferably, made of some metal that is stronger and has greater conduc-
tivity than the usual lead conductors. It thus serves not only as an aid to hold the
said conductors together to form the electrode, but also serves as an additional
conductor to reduce the resistance of the same.
In order to obtain the best connection of the plates through this rod F, and at
the same time keep it free from electrolitic action, it, during the construction of the
cell is inserted down through the openings of the lugs B, of the several conductors,
and molten metal poured into said openings so as to surround it.
When this molten metal cools, it secures the perfect union of the conductors and
prevents the possibility of electrolitic action between said rod and said metal
conductors
it will thus be seen that by this construction the various metal conductors forming
the electrodes or poles of the battery, may be accurately and securely joined
together, so as to insure an intimate contact between the material of all of the metal
conductors of the same electrode without interposition of any solder or other material
which could in any way interfere with the conductivity of said electrodes, and by the
use of the bar or rod, F, that passes through the lugs and makes a rigid structure and
maintains and holds the plates in accurate and proper position
The recesses (, through which the lugs of the complementary set of conductors of
the opposing electrode pass may if desired be despensed with.
a, a, represents sheets or plates of asbestos or other suitable material, which are
placed flat against each side of the metal conductors A, and prevent the dislodgement
of the active material therefiom.
All the metal conductors are thus protected, and in order to permit free circulation
of the solution between them some means must be provided for keeping said sheets
apart If the protecting sheets a be of a hard porous nature, we provide their inner
adjacent surface with longitudinal parallel ribs b placing the ribs of one sheet at
right angles, or cross wise to those of the other, thus forming channels
C, throughout
the surface, e of the plates, so that there is no impediment to the equal distribution of
the solution. If instead of a hard porous material we construct the sheets a, of a
porous, loosely woven and pliable material, we can keep them in position against their
respective metal conductors and separate from each other by the interposition of an
independent frame d, or vulcanized rubber.
In this latter event we prefer to make the interposing frame d, of strips
of leather-one set at right angles to the other and interwoven at such distances
apart as to permit of the free circulation of the solution and unobstructed electrolitic
action.

page_text: We do not wish to be confined to the use of ribs b, of the same kind of material
as the sheets a, nor to their construction as shown, because it is obvious their con-
figuration and the material of which they are constructed could be changed Nor, do
we wish, should we prefer to use a frame d, to be confined to the construction thereof
as described, because any suitable interposing devices would answer.
If desired only one sheet of asbestos need be interposed between the metal
conductors, but when this is done it is kept in position against the under surface of
each conductor by either ribs or independent separating devices, so as to prevent the
dislodgement of the active material from the conductor above it, and permit of the
circulation of the solution and tree electrolitic action between it and the metal conductor
under it
The battery is made up of a number of metal conductors, and the arrangement and
construction, as above described, of the sheets effectually prevent dislodgement of the
active material and permits us using the conductors in a horizontal position which is
often a great advantage
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :
1. The combination with a series of battery plates having laterally extending lugs
of a metallic rod passing through said lugs, substantially as described
2. The combination with a series of battery plates having laterally extending lugs
on one side and corresponding holes on the other side, of a metal rod passing through
said lug and completely surrounded by the material of the plates, substantially as
described.
3. The combination with a metal conductor of a secondary battery carrying the
active material of a sheet of porous material placed against the under surface of each
conductor so as to prevent dislodgement of the active material from the conductor
above it, and permit free circulation of the solution under it, as set forth.
4. The combination with a metal conductor of a secondary battery carrying the
active material of sheets of porous material placed on each side of said plates and a
separating device interposed between the porous sheets covering adjacent surfaces of
opposing plates as set forth.
5. The combination with the metal conductors of a secondary battery carrying the
active material of sheets of porous material, one side of which is placed flat
against said metal conductors and the other side of which adjacent and next the
sheets covering the opposing metal conductors is provided with separating ribs, as set
forth.
6. The combination with the metal conductors of a secondary battery, of the
supporting sheets of porous material one side of which is placed flat against said
metal conductor and the other side of which adjacent and next the corresponding
sheet covering the opposing metal conductor is provided with longitudinal ribs integral
with the body of said sheets whereby the active material may be securely held in
place and free circulation of the fluid allowed whether the plates be upright or
horizontal substantially as set forth.
1 1000
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.