Improvements in Storage Batteries.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 16th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Storage Batteries.
Communicated by Max HartunG, of 12, Eisenacherstrasse, Berlin, W., in the
Kingdom of Prussia, Empire of Germany, Engineer and Electrician.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improvement in storage batteries, and consists in a
novel construction of a plate or grate for holding the active material of the
storage battery plates.
The said grate differs from those hitherto employed for the same purpose in
being composed of bars which cross or intersect each other and are of the same
height and arranged in the same plane. The said bars have a triangular or semi-
circular or similar cross section and the onc set of bars of the grate, which are
arranged in one direction parallel or concentric to each other, have the base of
their triangular or semi-circular cross section turned to one surface of the grating,
while the other set of bars, which cut or intersect those of the first set, have their
base turned to the reverse surface of the grating.
.
By this means, there is obtained a plate composed of a considerable number of
open fields, each field being surrounded by four sides, two sides of which have their
base turned to one surface and the two other sides to the other surface of the plate
or grating.
The active material, such as powder of lead, oxide or peroxide of lead, or any
other mass used in storage batteries, is filled into the said fields of the grating
and firmly adheres to the sides of the field, as the said sides are tapering from one
surface to the other, and, accordingly, the fields are narrower at the two surfaces
than inside the field.
Storage battery plates are known, composed of bars, which have a tapering or
triangular cross section and intersect each other; but such battery plates, hitherto,
have been made of two grates arranged upon each other in such a manner that the
active material of the plate, as a whole, though retained by the several fields of
the two gratings, forms one continuous or integral mass, not fully separated into
independent fields or portions. As the battery is charged and discharged, the
active material of the plates increases and decreases in volume, as known, and the
continuous active material of each plate extends and contracts as a whole. Thereby,
as the bars of the grates are embedded in the mass, great frictional strain is
occasioned and the plates are liable to deformation or to become bent, the active
material, being resisted by the bars of the gratings, is very liable to burst or
become rent and worn, and falls off in a comparatively short time.
With the improved gratings of this invention, each field of active material in the
plate is separated and independent of the surrounding fields, each field is capable
of extending and contracting without the least interference with the active material
of the adjacent fields, and if, in the course of long use, one or the other of the
fields of the plate should become worn, the other fields are not the least affected by
such deficiency.
Another important advantage is derived from the improved construction of
grating before described. This advantage consists in that there is obtained a
considerably larger active surface of the battery plates than with the plates which

page_text: are composed of two grates arranged above each other. In plates of the latter
kind, the bars of each grating occupy double the amount of surface as in the
plates of this invention. Instead of four sets of grate bars in a double grating,
there are employed only two sets of bars, one set having their base turned to one
surface and the other set to the other surface. Each surface of the plate,
accordingly, is occupied by the active material, only diminished by the combined
surfaces of one parallel set of bars.
The plates of this invention have been found by trial to hold much longer and
to store electricity in a superior and more effective manner than any other plates
which are based on the system of a metallic grating holding the active material.
Dated this 17th day of March 1893.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Storage Batteries.
A communication by MAX HARTUNG, of 12, Eisenacherstrasse, Berlin, W., in the
Kingdom of Prussia, Empire of Germany, Engineer and Electrician.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil 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 an improvement in storage batteries, and consists in a
novel and improved construction of a plate or grate for holding the active material
of the storage battery plates.
The said grate differs from those hitherto employed for the same purpose in
being composed of bars which cross or intersect each other and are of the same
height and arranged in the same plane.
In the accompanying drawings
:-
Figure 1 is a top view of a plate or grate constructed according to this invention,
the under side view being the same:
Figure 2 is a cross section drawn to line za of Figure 1:
Figure 3 is a cross section, drawn to line y-y of Figure 1: and
Figure 4, a cross section drawn to line of Figure 1.
and
Figure 5 shows a modification in the shape of the grate
Figure 6 is a section drawn to line - of Figure 5.
The plate, A, consists of a frame of lead, cast in one piece with a suitable
number of bars a and a suitable number of bars ; the said bars a and have a
triangular or semi-circular cross section, and the one set of bars, which are arranged
in one direction parallel or concentric to each other, have their base turned to one
surface of the plate, while the other set of bars, which intersect those of the first
set, have their base turned to the other surface of the plate or grating.
By this means is obtained a plate composed of a considerable number of open
fields or cells, each field being surrounded by four sides, two sides of which have
their base turned to one surface and the other two sides have their base turned to
the other surface of the plate or grating A.
The active material, such as powder of lead, oxide or peroxide of lead, or any
other mass employed in storage batteries, is filled into the said fields of the grating
and firmly adheres to the sides of the field, as two sides of each field are tapering
from the upper to the lower surface and the other two sides are tapering from the
lower to the upper surface of the plate.

page_text: Storage battery plates are known, composed of bars which have a prismatical or
triangular cross section which intersect each other, but such battery plates,
hitherto, have been made of two grates arranged upon each other in such a manner
that the active material of the plate, though retained by the several fields of the
two gratings, forms one continuous integral mass, not fully separated into indepen-
dent fields or portions. As the battery is being charged and discharged, the
active material of the plate will increase or decrease in volume, as known. If the
active material of the plate is continuous, it extends and contracts as a whole, and
the bars of the grates, embedded within the mass undergo a considerable strain,
which causes them to be bent and deformed, and the active material, accordingly,
is liable to break and become rent and worn and it thus falls off after a compara-
tively short time of use.
With the improved grating of this invention, each field of active material
between two bars a, and two bars b, is separated and independent of the sur-
rounding fields; each field is capable of extending and contracting without the
least interference with the active material of the adjacent fields, and if, in the
course of long use, one or the other of the fields of the plate should become worn,
the other fields are not affected by such deficiency.
Another important advantage is derived from the improved construction of
grating before described. This advantage consists in that there is obtained a con-
siderably larger active surface of the battery plates than with the plates which are
composed of two grates arranged above each other. In plates of the latter kind,
the bars of each grating occupy nearly the double amount of surface than in the
plates of this invention. Instead of four sets of grate bare in a double grating,
there are employed only two sets of bars, one set having their base turned upwards
and the other set downwards. Each surface of the plate, accordingly, is covered
by the active material, only diminished by the combined surfaces of one parallel
set of bars.
By using only two sets of bars instead of four sets, as usual in the double
gratings, the bars may be made stronger and of greater resistance, without adding
to the weight of the lead of the plate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
An improved electrode plate for storage batteries, consisting of a grating of two
sets of bars of triangular or semi-circular cross section, the two sets of bars being
of equal height and intersecting each other in the same plane, one set of bars
having their base turned upwards and the other set having their base turned
downwards, substantially as described.
Dated this 15th day of December 1893
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.