Improvements in and connected with Secondary or Storage Batteries.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1897
2000
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Secondary or Storage Batteries.
I, WILLIAM MOORE MCDOUGALL, of 43, Sussex Avenue, East Orange, in the
County of Essex and State of New Jersey, United States of America, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to improvements in and connected with secondary or
storage batteries, and has reference more particularly to such batteries as are
intended for use in the propulsion of vehicles and in other situations where
they are subject to a great amount of vibration.
Numerous attempts have been made to overcome the difficulty that exists, in
situations such as referred to, with storage batteries as usually constructed, owing
to the coating becoming disintegrated and falling off the plates, and it is to
overcome this difficulty that is the object of the present invention.
The said invention furthermore is designed to materially increase the storage
capacity of the electrodes of the battery.
An important feature of the invention consists in forming the plate with a
number of bosses or enlargements on each side thereof or with projections of an
analogous nature adapted to enter corresponding apertures in a sheet of india
rubber, asbestos, or other suitable insulating material.
A further important feature consists in providing perforated division plates
having ribs, projections or distance pieces on one side thereof, these division plates
being so disposed between the electrodes that the ribs or projections abut against
the negative electrodes.
According to one arrangement I may form the bosses or projections on the plates
by casting them thereon in the manufacture of the said plates and I may provide
them in any convenient manner with numerous fine horizontal and vertical grooves
or cuts extending down to the surface of the plate. To each side of the plate I
then apply a perforated sheet such as referred to, say of asbestos composition,
the perforations of which correspond in position to the bosses or projections on
the plate, and which are of such a thickness that the outer surface of the bosses
or projections are flush with the sheets. The plate may then he "formed" in any
convenient manner either with or without the application of lead oxide in the
aforesaid fine groovings or cuts. After being formed the plates are arranged side
by side in a cell in the usual manner and the ribbed division plates which may
for example consist of vulcanite or other suitable non-conducting material are
inserted between them. The perforations in these plates are comparatively small
and very numerous like those of a sieve, while the ribs which as stated are on one
side only of each plate are situated rather far apart say at distances of about ½ an
inch from each other.
The grooves or cuts in the bosses or projections may be formed either during
the moulding operation, or subsequently as may be convenient.
In some cases instead of the said grooves or cuts in the bosses or projections
being numerous and fine the bosses or projections may consist of only a few

page_text: horizontal strips or webs with comparatively wide grooves or spaces between
them, which spaces are filled up with lead dust obtained say by granulation, or with
lead oxides or other suitable lead compounds.
It will thus be seen that the portions or strips of lead between the grooves are
integral with the body of the plate and form efficient mechanical and electrical
connection between the same and the active material.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and connected with Secondary or Storage Batteries.
I, WILLIAM MOORE MCDOUGALL, of 43, Sussex Avenue, East Orange, in the
County of Essex and State of New Jersey, United States of America, Mechanical
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:
-
This invention relates to improvements in and connected with secondary or
storage batteries, and has reference more particularly to such batteries as are
intended for use in the propulsion of vehicles and in other situations where
they are subject to a great amount of vibration.
Numerous attempts have been made to overcome the difficulty that exists, in
situations such as referred to, with storage batteries as usually constructed, owing
to the coating becoming disintegrated and falling off the plates, and it is to
overcome this difficulty that is the object of the present invention.
The said invention furthermore is designed to materially increase the storage
capacity of the electrodes of the battery.
An important feature of the invention consists in forming the plate with a
number of bosses or enlargements on each side thereof or with projections of an
analogous nature adapted to enter corresponding apertures in a sheet of india
rubber, asbestos, or other suitable insulating material.
A further important feature consists in providing perforated division plates
having ribs, projections or distance pieces on one side thereof, these division plates
heing so disposed between the electrodes that the ribs or projections abut against
the negative electrodes.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect I will proceed to describe the same by aid of the accompanying drawings
in which:
Figure 1 is a front elevation of one construction of electrode according to the
said invention.
Figure 1 is a detail view showing one of the aforesaid bosses to an enlarged
scale.
Figure 2 is a vertical section thereof on the line xx, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a front elevation to a larger scale of a division plate such as above
referred to.
Figure 4 is a plan or edge view thereof, and
Figure 5 is a vertical section on the line y y Figure 3.
Figure 6 is a front elevation of a plate having bosses or enlargements of a
slightly modified kind.
Figure 6 is a detail view of one of the said bosses to a larger scale.
Figure 7 a vertical section on the line z z Figure 6 showing a slight modification
in the construction of the plates.

page_text: Referring more particularly to Figures 1 to 5:
a is the body of the plate or electrode and 6 are the bosses thereon. These
bosses which are preferably slightly tapered as shown, may advantageously be
formed in the casting of the plate, and may be provided in any convenient manner
with intersecting cuts or grooves c, (Figure 1) arranged for example vertically
and horizontally and extending to the surface of the plate or approximately so.
d d are perforated sheets, such as referred to, which are applied to opposite
sides of the plates or electrodes. These sheets are formed say of asbestos com-
position and the perforations therein correspond in position, size and shape, to
the bosses or projections on the plate. The said sheets are of such a thickness that
their outer surfaces are flush with those of the bosses or projections.
ee are the division plates which may for example consist of vulcanite or other
suitable non-conducting material and are provided with ribs f and perfora-
tions g.
The perforations are comparatively small and very numerous like those of a
small sieve, while the ribs are on one side only of each plate and are situated at
distances of half an inch or thereabouts from each other.
The plates or electrodes may be "formed" in any convenient manner either
with or without the application of lead oxide in the aforesaid fine groovings or
cuts. After being formed the plates or electrodes are arranged side by side in a
cell in the usual manner, and the ribbed division plates are inserted between
them, with their ribs f towards the negative electrodes. In this position the said
ribbed plates serve to keep the plates or electrodes separate from one another
whilst however allowing by reason of the ribs and perforations, free circulation
of the liquid in the battery. During the working of the cell moreover the per-
forated sheets d d serve to prevent detachment of the active material from the
plates or electrodes.
Referring now to the arrangement shown in Figures 6 to 7, the construction is
substantially the same as that herein before described but instead of the grooves
or cuts in the bosses or projections being numerous and fine and intersecting one
another, the said bosses or projections may be formed into only a few horizontal
strips or webs with comparatively wide grooves or spaces c¹ between them see
Figure 6, which spaces are filled up with lead dust obtained say by granulation,
or with lead oxides or other suitable lead compounds.
It will thus be seen that the strips or webs d¹ between the grooves are integral
with the body of the plate and form efficient mechanical and electrical connection
between the same and the active material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A secondary or storage battery plate provided with bosses or the like, and
with sheets of insulating material having perforations to receive the bosses and
the active material applied to them, substantially as described.
2. A division plate of insulating material provided with ribs on one side and
with perforations between said ribs, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
3. A secondary battery having electrodes and division plates constructed and
arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 5
or to Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
D
1011
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.