An Improved Galvanic Battery.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by RoSCOE HENRY THOMPSON, of No. 300, Monroe
Street, New York, United States of America, Gentleman.]
An Improved Galvanic Battery.
CECIL URQUHART FISHER of 45 Holborn Viaduct London Gentleman 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:-
My invention relates to batteries, and the object of my invention is first, to
produce a battery at a less cost for a given capacity than has hitherto been possible,
and second to have it less subject to polarization than other batteries in which a
single exciting material is used.
accomplish this object by the means hereinafter described and pointed out in
the claims.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification,
Fig. 1 represents one form of battery embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 another form.
Fig. 3 a vertical cross-section of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 a view of the under side of Fig. 3 taken at y y Fig. 3 illustrating mode of
attachment of carbon rods to top plate, and
Fig. 5 a magnified cross-section of the fibrous carbon element of my battery.
Fig. 6 shows mode of clamping wire to binding posts taken on line an Fig. 3.
Referring to the drawing, A represents an ordinary jar, which may be of any
suitable material, and, Z, the zinc or positive element of the battery. For the
negative clement I use a carbonized fibrous material C, preferably rattan ; which I
prefer to use in the form of rods, but may use in the shape of a long spiral as
illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The cover D or top piece of the battery I
construct of granular carbon and provide it with a flange F to rest on the jar, and
with a circular groove G, on its under side to hold the carbon rods. In this groove,
made somewhat wider than the diameter of the carbon rods, I secure the latter in
the following manner-I place the rods therein and then fill or pack the space
intervening between the rods themselves, and between the rods and the sides of the
groove with a cement I, consisting of about 75 parts of powdered coke, 20 parts of
lamp black and five parts of asphaltum, after which I recarbonize the whole, thus
securing a very close electrical union between the fibrous carbon rods and the
granular carbon top piece. On the latter I form a projection M, serving as a
binding post to which the wire may be clamped by means of band 1, screw stem 2
having a central head or nut 3 and provided with nut 4 for tightening band on post
and nut 5 for securing wire between it and central head as shown. The cover D is
further provided with an opening bushed with an insulating sleeve S through which
the zinc rod Z passes as shown.
The irregularly corrugated outside surface of the fibrous carbon used, together
with the ducts running through the lengths of the same, and which at different
places connect with each other and with the outside surface, prevent to a great
extent the formation of nitrogen on the carbon. The fibrous carbon it is believed
acts in a sort of mechanical way to largely prevent or minimize polarization, doing
what is doue in the Le Clanché cell by a special depolarizing substance, such as
manganese, only to a much greater degree.
Any exciting material may be used that will produce the necessary chemical
action. The fibrous carbon can be used in other than single fluid batteries and also
in what are called "dry batteries."

page_text: 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 primary battery the negative element of which consists of fibrous carbon
made from rattan, substantially as described.
2. In a primary battery the negative element consisting of fibrous carbon
connected to the line through a granular carbon conductor, substantially as
described.
3. In a primary battery the combination with a granular carbon top plate, of
fibrous carbon rods in intimate electrical union therewith, substantially as
described.
4. In a primary battery the combination with a granular carbon top plate
provided with a groove, of fibrous carbon rods held in said groove in intimate
electrical contact with said top plate, substantially as described.
Dated this 15th day of September 1891
J. E. EVANS-JACKSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.