Improvements in Storage Batteries.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1891
Improvements in Storage Batteries.
A communication from WILLIAM ROBERTS, of the City of Toronto, in the
County of York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., 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 :-
The object of the invention is, first, to provide an electrode for storage batteries
which will afford the greatest practical surface exposure on a given size of plate
and the freest circulation of the current over the said surface consistent with
durability of the element and efficiency of service-secondly, to provide means
whereby the electrodes are insulated from one another and yet secured together in
such a manner as to prevent any possible tendency to buckling,--thirdly, to provide
a means for connecting the couplings together which the moisture or gases arising
from the decomposition of the electrode will not destroy and fourthly, to so support
the electrodes from the bottom of the cell as to obviate any danger of short-
circuiting, and it consists essentially first of forming the electrode of plates which
have a plurality of openings extending from side to side, the inner sides of each
opening being beveled or concaved inwardly at acute angles from the outer sides
so as to form apexes with the inwardly beveled or concaved corresponding sides of
cach adjacent opening which apexes are the only points at which the said plates
touch secondly in securing the electrodes together by hard rubber bolts, each plate
being separated from the other by hard rubber sleeves on the said bolts, thirdly in
connecting the couplings and the ends of the couplings and terminal plates together
preferably by a hard rubber bolt and nuts, fourthly in providing feet preferably at
the bottom of the negative electrodes so that the bolts passing through the com-
bined electrodes will support them above the bottom of the cell the whole being
arranged in detail as hereinafter more particularly explained.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of two cells provided with these improved electrodes
and coupling attachment the cell and electrodes being partially broken away to
exhibit their construction.
Fig. 2 is a detail of an electrode showing the intermediate plate.
A is the cell B the electrodes, and C the couplings. The electrode B is
formed in the usual manner of two plates which are preferably made of lead
although they may be formed of any other suitable material. These plates are
brought face to face and being duplicates of one another form openings a extending
through the plates and electrodes so as to form such an open space between them
that practically the entire inner surface of each plate will be exposed to electrolytic
action and afford the freest possible circulation of the current over and upon the
surface. As the main object in forming the plates as hereinafter described is to
have the oxide D in practically one continuous sheet and yet confine the same in
position it is not material as to the exact form of opening a as long as they are
made with the idea of subdividing the surface of the plate so that the oxide will be
duly exposed to the electrolytic action.
In Fig. 1 is shown the preferred form of both the inside and outside of the plates
forming the improved electrode. It will be seen that the plate consists of a series
of blocked openings running horizontally and vertically parallel to each other and
as near to the edge of plate as possible. The openings a have projections b
extending from each edge of each opening towards its centre thus forming on the
flat side of each plate openings much the appearance of the letter X.

page_text: e are the main strips which extend horizontally and vertically from the top to
the bottom and from side to side of the plate. The strips are each beveled from
cach side to a point or apex centrally located on; the, inside of the strip of the
plate.
The projections extend as before stated towards the centre of the opening a and
form part of the strips. The projections, bare also, beveled from their edges on
the outside of the plate to a point, or, apex centrally located on the inside of the
plate and have V-shaped outside ends,d each side of which is, beveled inwardly to
the apex.of the projections.
The parts above mentioned might be rounded instead of beveled but beveling is
preferred as the contact between the plates is reduced to a minimum as they come
together only at the apexes of the strips and projections while the surface contact
of the oxide is consequently increased to a maximum thereby gently increasing the
utility of the plate, as practically there is no surface contact at all.
It will be further observed that by beveling the strips and projections as shown
they yield a larger surface than they would on a single plain side which in an entire
plate materially increases the aggregate of surface made available by this con-
struction.
In order to form the electrode B in an economical manner one of the plates is
made with a rib B₁ extending along its side and bottom so as to receive the opposite
plate which is made slightly smaller in dimensions to fit within and up to the larger
plate.
The larger plate has lugs e formed at the top and on the bottom and side ribs
which lugs when the plates are put together are bent to fit into recesses f formed at
the top, bottom and sides of the smaller plate.
In order to secure the electrodes together and at the same time insulate them
from one another hard rubber bolts E are provided which pass through the
electrodes and intermediate hard rubber sleeves F separating them to the outside
electrodes at which point they are threaded to receive the round nuts H.
By this means a very effective connection is made and one which would prevent
any possible tendency to the swelling or buckling of the plates should such exist.
This electrode has however been subjected to the severest known tests and con-
sequently I do not believe it will have any tendency to buckle on account of its
being formed with double plates and intermediate oxide.
C are the coupling strips one end of which is turned up as shown. Two of the
coupling strips are shown connected together in the centre by a threaded hard
rubber bolt and nuts i made preferably round. The other two coupling strips
are separated and have the terminal plates on which the wires are secured, con-
nected to the ends of them by the threaded hard rubber bolts h and nuts i. By
means of this method of coupling above described a free flow of the electric
current is always ensured, as it obviates the common difficulty in couplings which
always exists where metals are brought into contact which is that as the gases
or moisture arises by the process of the decomposition of the electrolyte the
action common to primary batteries, and oxidization follows, thus destroying the
connections.
Also in this mode of coupling the battery or batteries the connecting strips are
brought into contact through the tightening of the nuts upon the hard rubber
bolts thus absolutely avoiding all danger of short circuiting or destruction of the
electrical connection necessary for the transmission of the energy either into or
out of the batteries.
In order to support the electrodes above the bottom of the cell feet I are
preferably formed at the bottom of the plates on which the ribs B are formed,
of the negative electrodes. As the positive electrodes are supported above the
bottom of the cell by the bolts E passing through them there can be no chance
of short circuiting. In other batteries there is much danger of the oxide or
paste being cast off and dropping into the bottom of the cell and consequent

page_text: short circuiting and although my correspondent has no fear as far as this electrode
is concerned still he thinks it advisable to use the above construction so as to
form a double preventative.
In Fig. 2 is shown an alternative form with an intermediate plate J with the
object of further increasing the capacity of the electrode in which now a double
layer of oxide is formed. The plate J is made doubly corrugated as shown or in
any other suitable form and with holes opposite the openings a.
In forming the electrode the plates are first united and the oxide paste or other
suitable active or absorbing substance or material is then introduced through
the openings a till all the cavities are completely filled. The outside surfaces
of the plates are then cleaned and the electrode is finished.
It will be seen in this form of electrode and battery there are many advantages
gained over those commonly in use although it may be handled and treated in
practically the same way.
One very important advantage is that the oxide when once secured in position
is prevented from shedding, casting off or otherwise escaping by the peculiar form
and size of opening a with projections & as shown. The construction adopted on the
inner sides of the plates is very important as the pockets being wedge-shaped on
their sides on account of the beveled sides of the strips and projections extending
at an acute angle to the outer sides, enable iny correspondent to get a large
exposure or surface for the paste on a very thin plate and consequently a free
circulation of the current in both charging or discharging the battery in a very
light electrode. The method of securing the electrodes in position and at the same
time of insulating them as also the method of coupling the batteries is found in
practice very effective for the reasons above specified.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a storage battery a plate constructed with a plurality of openings and strips
separating the openings having their inner sides extending inwardly at an acute
angle to the flat outer side of the strips to apexes or points centrally located
between the sides of the strips substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. In a storage battery a plate constructed with a plurality of openings and strips
separating the openings having their inner sides extending inwardly at an acute
angle to the flat outer side of the strips to apexes or points centrally located
between the sides of the strips and projections extending from said strips into the
openings which projections on their outer sides are flat and on a plane with the
outer surface of the strips while their inner sides extend at acute angles to the outer
side substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. In a storage battery an electrode consisting of two plates suitably united face
to face said plates being formed in strips and projections extending from said strips
arranged opposite to one another the face of said strips and projections being
beveled from the centre to the edges in lines less than a right angle to the plane of
the outer side and in contact where the bevel lines intersect whereby the inner
surface of the said plates are exposed to action substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
4. In storage batteries an electrode having two outer plates one of which fits
against or within ribs extending from the inner face of the other and is secured in
position by lugs forming part of said ribs or plate and bent around the sides of the
opposite plate as specified.
5. In storage batteries two or more cells having the strips to which the electrodes
are secured connected together at their turned-up ends by a threaded bolt and nuts
and the terminal plates to which wires are secured also connected together by a
threaded bolt and nuts as shown and for the purpose specified.
6. In storage batteries an electrode having its plates secured together and each
plate separated at suitable distances apart and insulated from each other by bolts

page_text: and sleeve the said bolts sleeves and electrodes being firmly held together by nuts
screwed upon the outer threaded ends of the bolts as shown and for the purpose
specified.
7. In storage batteries feet extending from the bottom preferably of the negative
electrodes and forming part of the same and bolts passing through holes in both
positive and negative electrodes so as to hold them above the bottom of the cell
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
8. In a storage battery, an electrode consisting of a pair of plates having uneven
inner sides and an intermediate plate having two uneven sides and a paste between
said plates substantially as specified.
9. In a storage battery an electrode consisting of a pair of plates having uneven
inner sides and an intermediate plate having two uneven sides openings being
arranged opposite each other in all three plates and a paste between said plates
substantially as specified.
Dated this 26th day of January 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.