Improvements in or relating to Accumulator Plates.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Accumulator Plates.
I, HENRY TYRER CHESWRIGHT, of Usine de l'Ile, Carcassonne, in the
Republic of France, Manufacturer, 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 present invention relates to improvements in the construction of the secondary
battery or accumulator plates described in my former Patent No. 4087 dated
March 15th 1890.
These improvements relate to the ribs with which the tubes or sections forming
the plates are superficially provided, and to the manner in which these said tubes
are arranged so as to form a plate.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a face view and an edge view of one of the
positive plates constructed according to this invention.
Figures 3 and 4 enlarged views of a portion of the same, Figure 3 an elevation
and Figure 4 a horizontal section.
Figure 5 is a face view of one of the negative plates constructed according to
this invention, and
Figures 6 and 7 respectively an elevation and a horizontal section of portions of
two of the tubes or sections of said plate.
Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the manner of supporting the plates when
in operation.
Like letters represent like parts throughout the drawings.
Each of the positive plates A. as shown at Fig. 1 and on a larger scale at Figs. 3
and 4 is made up of a number of sections or tubes A' each provided on both of its
surfaces with geniculated projections B forming grooves or recesses A³ A³ as shown
in Figure 4.
"
These dovetail grooves are designed to keep the peroxide or "active matter in
position and the projections B have been made of this particular shape for the
purpose of increasing the surfaces of the metal-lead or alloy-serving as the
support for the paste. While thus rendering the employment of a larger surface
of lead possible the manufacture of the plates is rendered easier, besides which the
capacity of the accumulator is increased.
The tubes A' instead of being piled up horizontally one above the other as
described in my former Specification, are placed vertically side by side and united
at the top and bottom by frames or cross pieces CD which may be of lead or lead
alloy. If desired all the "sections" composing the plate may be made in a single
piece or two or more of them may be in one piece. The frames C D may be
soldered to the tubes.
The top frame is provided with a branch or extension C₁ for taking the current,
and terminates at each end in a triangular prolongation C² which rests in a notch E¹
of the same shape cut out of the wooden cross-piece E as shown in Fig. 8 or other
suitable portion of the supports of the accumulator. The plates are thus suspended
in the vessel containing the electrolyte.
If desired similar extensions may be provided upon one or both ends of the
bottom frames so as to assist in keeping the plates in their proper positions. In
this case in order not to interfere with the suspension of the plates the extension C¹
of the lower frame, the shape of which need not necessarily be the same as that of
the top one, would preferably engage with an opening in the lower frame in such a
manner that it did not rest on the bottom and the plate was free to expand as
required. Another means of keeping the plates separate, particularly at their
Der

page_text: lower ends, would be the employment of distance pieces made preferably of
vulcanite or similar nonconducting material and provided with a dovetail projecting
portion adapted to fit into the grooves of one of the plates. The shape of this
block or distance piece should be such as not to allow of any lodgment of the active
material which might form a contact between the two plates and for this purpose
the distance piece would preferably have sloping surfaces like the roof of a house
and a pointed end against which the plate to which it was not fixed would rest.
In arranging the sections of the plates in vertical rows and suspending them as
described, have had in view the object of counteracting the dilatation due to
charging the weight of the plate acting vertically opposes the force tending to
separate the sections, or cause them to buckle.
Tbe negative plates F are not, as is well known, required to expose so great a
surface of lead to the action of the acid as the positive plates, in addition to which
the spongy lead with which they are coated has not the same tendency to flake off
and fall down as the peroxide or "active matter" of the positive plates. In con-
sequence of this I prefer to give the sections or tubes forming each of these negative
plates F the shape shown at Figs. 5, 6 and 7.
The plates are of rectangular formation and are furnished on both their
surfaces with projections G forming undercut or dovetail grooves F2 Fig. 7. They
are placed side by side and united or connected together by frames CD as has
already been described when referring to the positive plates with which they in
other respects correspond.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The particular form of the geniculated projections B of the positive plates
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in Fig. 4 of the
accompanying drawings.
2. A plate for a secondary battery consisting of a series of vertical sections or
tubes such as A' or F connected together at top and bottom by frames CD and
suspended by or from the top frame C substantially as described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
3. In a secondary battery the employment of a suspended plate for the purpose
described.
4. In a secondary battery plate a frame such as C having angular projections C'
adapted to engage with corresponding recesses in the support substantially as
described and illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
5. A plate for a secondary battery consisting of one or more vertical sections such
as A' or F.
Dated this 7th day of February 1891.
HENRY TYRER
CHESWRIGHT.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.