IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SECONDARY VOLTAIC BATTERIES
Year: 1884

page_text: I HENRY FRANCIS JOEL. of 44 Lavender Grove, Dalston, London, in the County
of Middlesex, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SECONDARY VOLTAIC BATTERIES"
to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the construction of Secondary Voltaic Batteries, or
Accumulators, and to the regulation of their charge, and discharge. I construct
the electrode plates of my battery with any suitable metal, metal alloy, or material,
combined or otherwise with any suitable oxide, or salt. I make what is known as
the negative electrode viz:-the plate bearing the peroxide, or what may be termed
the depolarizing electrode of one material, and the positive electrode of the same, or
of dissimilar material, or I may use and combine different metals in one electrode.
I find that the addition of any suitable metal such as Tin, Zinc, or an alloy with
which a local Electrical action is set up with the lead, keeps the lead from becoming
coated by an insulating coating of sulphate, or other salt, an alloy of lead and tin,
is especially suitable. The E. M. F. of lead and tin and their alloy is so close that
but a slight action takes place, and thus the alloy whilst serving the purpose, will
last for a long time, especially if amalgamated with mercury..
I will describe the mechanical construction of my electrodes as applied to lead,
in conjunction with any of the oxides of lead.
I make a flat central terminal connecting picce, plate, or frame of lead, made in
the form of a scroll, grid, open wire guaze or netting, or any other convenient form,
having a projecting slip or tongue-shaped piece on one side, to connect the plates
together. I make a special form of plate with chequer-shaped openings, the ribs, or
frame being made of a diamond section, I surround this terminal piece, with an
envelope of finely divided lead, or an envelope of any of the oxides of lead, or I
combine the finely divided lead with an oxide; the finely divided lead may be
that produced by electrolysis, or it may be lead wool, such as is described
in the specification to Woodley and Joel's Patent, dated the 31st October 1882,
Number 5183. The lead wool owing to its fibrous nature is the best suited for
my purpose, I draw and weave, or interlace the lead wool through the openings or
D. All

page_text: gratings of the terminal plate, and thus cause the front and back of the surrounding
envelope to intermingle, and combine. I then subject the compound plate to
pressure, and consolidate and combine the lead wool, oxide of lead, and the central
terminal plate into a hard compact, but porous slab or plate electrode, having an
intimate electrical interconnection throughout. I may compress and mould my
compound plate with dies having projecting ribs and edges, or I may corrugate or
chequer, or emboss the surface of my plates by pressure, these corrugations assist to
make good connection between the terminal plate and the finely divided lead, and
this is especially the case when the chequer-shaped terminal plate with diamond
section frame is used, the sharp projecting edges of the ribs receive extra pressure
when the plate is pressed, and so cause the lead wool to combine with those edges, I
may still further prepare the plate by painting it with a solution of dilute sulphuric
acid, or with a paint made with miniumn and an acid solution, or I may amalgamate
the surface of the compound, plate with any suitable amalgam, in addition to
amalgamating the terminal plate, when the plate is so prepared, I paint, or coat
the edges with an insulating and binding material such as pitch, rubber, or gutta-
percha solution, and thus preserve the edges of the plates, or I may melt, or fuzo
the edges, and so make a firm frame to the whole plate, I also paint and coat the
terminal in like manner.
I may puncture holes through to correspond to the holes in the grid, and for the
purpose of inserting insulating or separating pieces in those holes; or I may use
lead, tin, or other suitable metal wires, in addition to the lead wool, to still further
increase the surface of the central terminal and connecting plate, I may bond my
electrode plates so formed, into a round or any other convenient shape, and to
make very largo electrodes, I place several plates together and clamp them by
means of iron bolts encased in lead, I have found that where a central terminal
of any shape or form as a plate, grid, or otherwise is completely enveloped by
the compressed finely divided lead, mixed, or unmixed with an oxide of lead, that
the central terminal plate is not acted upon to any detrimental degree by the
electrolytic action of the solution.
For separating the plates in an accumulator, I make a cross lattice work of thin
wood strips, I prepare this wood lattice by soaking in paraffin, a rubber solution,
gutta-percha solution, or such like insulating, and preserving solution, so that the
frame does not act as a conductor to short circuit the plates, and is not acted upon
to any detrimental degree by the solution.
In place of wood, I inay use ebonite, xylonite, or other insulator which does not
require after preparation, or I may take porous textile materials such as linen,
guaze, canvas, coarse-netting of hemp, or string, flax, jute, or fibre of any description,
or basket-work, and when suitably prepared dip the material, netting, or basket-
work into a rubber, or any suitable solution, and use such specially prepared material
for separating divisions, or I may use an open network made of rubber, or gutta-
percha, or such material alone, or I may paint or cast a thick pattern of insulating
material such as gutta-percha on the plates direct, or emboss, or cause to adhere a
number of separate rings or washers, the flexible divisions may be made to wrap,
or surround the plates in any convenient manner, and I may use asbestos, felt,
canvas, or thin veneers of wood, or such materials, separate, or combined with any
of the separating divisions above described, and prepare the rim or edges of the
felt, or other material, with a frame, or edging of the insulating and preserving
solution, or I may lay the insulating pattern or framework, or the rings or washers
or other forms, on to any of these or similar material direct, and then use them for
separating divisions.
I take any suitable number of the plates and separating divisions and place them
side by side, with the negative terminals all on one side, and joined together by a
bar at the top, and the positive terminals all on the other side also joined together,
and then clamp the plates together by means of cross stiff uprights, made of
prepared wood, or ebonite, or such material, joined and fastened together by

page_text: flexible bands of rubber, or gutta-porcha, so that when placed in position the whole
of the plates rest upon the two rubber bands joining the uprights at the bottom,
and these uprights keep the plates clear of the bottom, when in the cells; the top
rubber bands embrace and enclose the terminal connecting slips, and thus confine
and frame the whole together in a flexible frame, with suitable allowance due to
the rubber bands for expansion and contraction: I also arrange the frame so that
the plates are prevented from touching the sides of the cells, and the whole of tho
plates are enclosed in a flexible rubber pad, which is convenient for travelling,
whilst tho whole of the plates can be lifted in or out of the cell.

page_text: I, HENRY FRANCIS JOEL, of 44 Lavender Grove, Dalston, London, in the County
of Middlesex, Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SECONDARY VOLTAIC BATTERIES
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
-
My Invention relates to the construction of Secondary Voltaic Batteries, or
Accumulators.
I construct the electrode plates of my battery with any suitable metal, metal
alloy, or material, combined or otherwise with any suitable oxide, or salt. I make
what is known as the negative electrode viz-the plate bearing the peroxide, or
what may be termed the depolarizing electrode of one material, and the positive
electrode of the same, or of dissimilar material, or I may use and combine different
mėtals in one electrode. I find that the addition of any suitable metal such as Tin,
Zine, or an alloy with which a local electrical action is set up, with the lead, keeps
the lead from becoming coated by an insulating coating of sulphate, or other salt,
an alloy of lead and tin is especially suitable. The E. M. F. of lead and tin, and
their alloy is so close that but a slight action takes place, and thus the alloy
whilst serving the purpose will last for a long time, especially if amalgamated with
mercury.
I will describe the mechanical construction of my electrodes as applied to lead,
in conjunction with any of the oxides of lead. (see Drawing Fig. 1, a section of one
complete plate) I make a flat central terminal connecting piece, plate, or frame T,
of lead, made in the form of a scroll, grid, open wire gauze, or netting, or any other
convenient form, having a projecting slip, or tongue-shaped piece t, on one side, to
connect these plates together; the hole H, in these tongues (see Fig. 2) serves to
support the plates on a cross bar, as shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 7. I make a
special form of plate with chequer-shaped openings, the ribs, or frame being made
of a diamond section, I surround this terminal piece T, with an envelope of finely
divided lead. E, or an envelope of any of the oxides of lead, or I combine the
finely divided lead with an oxide, the finely divided lead may be that produced
by electrolysis, or it may be lead wool, such as is described in the specification to
Woodley and Joel's Patent dated the 31st October 1882, Number 5183.
The lead wool owing to its fibrous nature is the best suited for my purpose.
I draw and weave, or interlace the lead wool through the openings, or gratings
of the terminal plate, and thus cause the front and back of the surrounding
envelope to intermingle, and combine; I then subject the compound plate to
pressure, and consolidate and combine the lead wool, oxide of lead, and the central
terminal plate, into a bard, compact, but porous slab, or plate electrode, having an
intimate electrical interconnection throughout. I may compress and mould iny
compound plate with dies having projecting ribs and edges, or I may corrugate, or
chequer, or emboss, the surface of my plates by pressure, these corrugations assist
to make good connection between the terminal plate and the finely divided lead,
and this is especially the case when the chequer-shaped terminal plate with diamond
section frame is used, the sharp projecting edges of the ribs receive extra pressure
when the plate is pressed, and so cause the lead wool to combine with those edges.
I may still further prepare the plate by painting it with a solution of dilute
sulphuric acid, or with a paint made with minium and an acid solution, or I may
amalgamate the surface of the compound plate with any suitable amalgam, in

page_text: addition to amalgamating the terminal plate, when the plate is so prepared.
I paint, or coat the edges, with an insulating, and binding material such as pitch,
rubber, gutta-percha solution, and thus preserve the edges of the plates, or I may
melt, or fuse the edges, and so make a firm framic to the whole plate. I also paint,
and coat the terminal in like manner. I may puncture holes through to correspond
to the holes in the grid, and for the purpose of inserting insulating or separating
picces in those holes; or I use lead, tin or other suitable metal wires, in addition
to the lead wool, to still further increase the surface of the central terminal and
connecting plate. I may bend my electrode plates so formed, into a round or any
other convenient shape.
To make very large, or any sized electrodes, and batteries, see Fig. 3, I place
soveral plates E, E, together, and clamp them between a wood or other suitable
frame F, by means of bolts B. B, which may be iron encased in lead, or they may
be made of an alloy of lead and tin, or of wood, or I may insulate iron bolts for
the purpose.
have found that this method of making the cells has some
advantages: The frame and bolts clamp the plates together, and the depolarizing
material, which as previously described is laid on the terminal platos by compression,
is by the bolts B, B, retained under pressure, and in good contact with the terminal
plates. I may arrange and build up the plates E, E, to form the positive or negative
electrodes only, with two or more in one cell; or I may combine them together as
shewn to form one complete cell. I may use the top clamping plate to form tho
cover of the cell as shewn in dotted lines. I have found that where a central
terininal T, of any shape or form as a plate, grid, or otherwise is completely
enveloped (see Fig. 1,) by the compressed finely divided lead E, mixed or unmixed
with an oxide of lead that the central terminal plate T is not acted upon to any
detrimental degree by the electrolytic action of the solution.
For separating the plates in an accumulator, I make, see Fig. 4, a cross lattice
work of thin wood strips, I prepare this wood lattice by soaking in paraffin, rubber
solution, gutta-percha solution, or such like insulating, and preserving solution, so
that the frame does not act as a conductor to short circuit the plates, and is not
acted upon to any detrimental degree by the solution.
In place of wood, I may use ebonite, xylonite, or other insulator which does not
require after preparation, or I may take porous textile materials such as linen, gauze,
canvas, coarse netting of hemp, or string, flax, juto or fibre of any description, or
basket work, and when suitably prepared, dip the material, netting, or basket work,
into a rubber, or any suitable solution, and use such specially prepared material for
separating divisions, or I may use an open network made of rubber, or gutta-percha
or such material alone, or I may paint or cast a thick pattern of insulating matorial
such as gutta-percha on the plates direct, or emboss, or cause to adhere a number of
separate rings or washers see Fig. 5, in which 7, 7, are the washers. The flexible
divisions may be made to wrap, or surround the plates in any convenient manner,
and I may use asbestos, felt, canvas, or thin veneers of wood, or such materials,
separate or combined with any of the separating divisions above described, and
prepare the rim or edges of the felt, or other material with a frame, or edging of
the insulating and preserving solution, or I may lay the insulating pattern on the
rings, or washers, or other forms, on to any of these or similar material direct, and
then use them for separating divisions.
I take any suitable number of the plates E, and separating divisions see Figs. 6,
7 and 10, see also Fig. 3, and place them sido by side with the negative terminals
all on one side, and joined together by a bar at the top, and the positive terminals
all on the other sido also joined together, and then clamp the plates together under
pressure. One means of doing this, is by cross stiff uprights F, see Fig. 6, made of
prepared wood, or ebonite, or such material joined and fastened together by flexible
bands R, R, of rubber, or gutta-percha, so that when placed in position the whole
of the plates rest upon the two rubber bands joining the two uprights at the
bottom, and these uprights keep the plates clear of the bottom, when in the cells;
the top rubber bands R, R, embrace and enclose the terminal connecting slips t, t,

page_text: and clamp, confine, press and frame the whole together in a flexible frame, with
'suitable allowance due to the rubber bands for expansion and contraction, or I may
use prepared string, or rope to bind the clamping frame and plates when under
pressure, and thus secure them as before, or I may pass a clamping or retaining
ring over the ends of the frames F, or I may bind and clamp the plates together
by two bolts B, see Fig. 7, and Fig. 3, or in place of bolts, I may use wood ties b,
fixed with wedges as in Fig. 8, or dovetail ties b, as in Fig. 9.
Where the clamping bolts and ties are rigid, the separating divisions form
flexible pads. I also arrange the clamping frame so that the plates are prevented
from touching the sides of the cells, and the whole of the plates are enclosed and
clamped in a flexible frame, which is convenient for travelling, whilst the whole of
the plates can be lifted in or out of the cells. Fig. 10 is a convenient form of
clamping frame and cell combined, the plates E, are fixed in a band R, to the cover
of the cell, the cover and case form the clamping frame F, and with the bolts B, B,
keep the plates under pressure.
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
1, In Secondary Voltaic Batteries; the construction of electrodes with an alloy
of Lead,and Tin, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2, In Secondary Voltaic Batteries; the construction of the electrodes with a
terminal or conducting plate, completely enveloped by the depolarizing material,
such material being laid on and secured in position by pressure, substantially as
described and shewn in section by Fig. 1.
3, In Secondary Voltaic Batteries; the construction of electrodes or combined
pairs of electrodes with the clamping frame F, and bolts B, B, so that the whole is
encased and retained under pressure, substantially as shewn and described in
reference to Fig. 3.
4, In Secondary Voltaic Batteries; the construction of separating divisions,
substantially as shewn and described in reference to Figs. 4, and 5.
5, The construction of Secondary Voltaic Batteries, by clamping the electrodes,
or plates, and separating divisions together, and under pressure, in frames, sub-
stantially as shewn and described in reference to Figs 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Dated this 21st day of January 1885.