US12855A - Improvement in connecting-clamps for the plates of galvanic batteries - Google Patents

Description

N 'UNTD-f;STMUSb PATENTOFFICE FCHARLESYT-.CHESTER OFNEWXORK, "ff:

y .y[g:iMPRcvEMtNT lllxcoNNEcTiNG-CLAMPS 'toa THEPLATE'S or GAD/Amcy BATTERIES. l i' Spearman@ fdmigpart er Letters Patent A1410512.85a', dated May 15, 1855;

To all whomtt may concern: i

of the city,'county,and State of'New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement" in insulating the Plates of Galvanic-Batteries; land Ido hereby declare the following to be -a full description ot' the same. o

The nature of lmy inventionconsistsin the use and combination of ,brass clamps with in# sulated wooden supports, so that the plates immersed -in the exciting duid are insulated from eachother, local action in the battery prevented, and the plates can be removed, cleaned,

eration of changing plates in the battery.. Fig.

4 is a section of the insulating rod and clamp relative to its position with the tumbler.

Letter A is a piece of highly-insulated wood having secured to it at opposite sides clamps B B, for holding the zinc and platenized plates ZI and P in their respective positions in the exciting-duid contained in the tumbler T. (See dotted outline, Fig. 1.)

Letters s s are binding-screws for forming connections by wire from one series of cups to another. i

Letter Ofand Orepresent one form of clam pv used to insert a duplicate plate in the battery duid while the otherl is removed. Thus, C is placed 'over and upon the insulating-rod A and clamp B, and held in that position by means of the binding-screw e, while the clean or auxiliary zinc plate .Z2 is screwed into the clamp C2, so.

as to dip into the same acid which Z dips. Z' is then removed, cleaned, and replaced, and the battery-current will not have been disturbe The dotted outline in Fig. 1 represents the relation of these parts.

Be it known that I, OHRLSL T. CiEsT-it,

To charge my batteries I make asolution of one part sulphuric acid added to nine parts of water, which-lis placed in tumblers of nearly two quarts capacity,`to act upon the plate of zinc and platina or platenized metal. The size of these plates are seven inches long and of proportionate width, according to quantity of electricitydesired for use.` The plates are such as those generally used in galvanic batteries.

The insulating wooden rod A may be made of any extent required. For the batteries I use'v is of great value) Iprefer using the single and auxiliary clamp', Fig. 3.

lI insulate the upper parts of my platenized plates, except where connection is formed by the binding-screw, by baking with copal varnish, thus cutting oft' in a great measure the ei'ect of capillary action, which causes the acid solution, (especially after 4being partly mixed withsulphate of zinc,) to creep up the plate and attack the brass clamps and wood-work; but I do not consider that the insulation by varnish, however carefully performed, would entirely prevent local action produced by theetlect of capillary attraction, especially when the battery has been in long or careless use; but I rely especially upon the construction of Ymy brass clamps, which, however varied in form and'design, always'1e1nbrace-the batteryplates in a metallic chamber, cutting them off `from contact with the wood-work, and thus,

when the battery is neglected or used very se- `verely,zinc salts may accumulate in almost any quantity about the tops of the plates and Vyet the salt and moisture shall all be conned in the metallic cell, and the wood-work remain dry and insulated.

The other insulating devices that l have described or shall describe arevaluable auxiliaries against local action and against external injury, -such as the spilling water or acid upon the battery itself or on the shelves which sup.

port it; but asia guard against the tendency of the battery to create local action withinvitself by` its non-operation, and asa natural effect of its continued use, I rely mainly upon `the metallic chamber form of the platesup- `porting clamps.

The wooden insulating-rod A is insulated-by means A of varnishes, which is forced into its' pores by the pneumatic apparatus or other sui table means.

My tumblers on the lower part are coated with Faradays electrophorous. By this means I cut oil' intercommunication between the sur faces of the glass cells. The advantages dcrived from these arrangements are thc prevention of local action in theindividual cells and cross-tire between different cells, the ability to take-down and clean the battery Without interrupting the iiow of the current, and the power it gives the operator ot' arranging with the greatestdispatch the quantity of electricity desired. I have had this arrangement ot' battery in use ve months without being taken down'or interrupting the current ot electricity, the zines being substituted by means ot the be separate yfrom the Wooden bar and the solution be prevented from finding its way by.

capillary attraction to the wood, and which shall by their forrn'allow ot' an easy removal and replacement of each separate plate with out the disturbance of any other part of the batterynrran gement, as hereinabove set forth.

.CHARLES T. CHESTER.

Witnesses J. M. BALDWIN, WOODBRIDGE HUDSON.

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