US914038A - Battery-contact. - Google Patents

Description

J. H. GUGLER. BATTERY CONTACT. APPLIOATION FILED PEB. 21, 1908.

Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

anual.

afzw

" fluid, indicated by the character Y.'

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

JULIUS H- GUGLER, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, IiNNiSTA, AssIGNoE To BATTERY COMPANY;

To all whom it may concern: v y y Be it known that I, JULIUs H. GUGLER, a. citizen lof the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and4 State of Minnesota, have'invented, certain4 new and useful Improvements.inl Battery- Contacts; and I do hereby declare the following` to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersy in like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan View, illustrating my invention. Fig'. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the .line .r2 ai olE Fig. l, some parts being broken away; and Fig'. 3 is a detail showing the contact device on a larger scale than in the other views, but taken in section on thc same line as Fig. 2. l

This application discloses and claims a modiiication of the device genericallyclaimed in a companion application Serial Nuiriber 417,020, tiled by me of even date herewith; and, in this application, the numeral 6 indicates what, toi-,the purposes oi" illustration,

is designated as the negative electrode ol the well known Bunsen type of battery, and the numeral 7 likewise indicates4 a porous earthen jar. This electrode 6, which 1s prei'ei'ably a carbon or graphite electrode, is, as shown,

provided with a flanged upper end that rests upon the upper edge oi the lar 7. As shown,

-the said electrode 6 is oi" hollow cylind-rical form, although it might take other lorms sov far my invention is concerned. Atonel side andat itsfuppcr end, the electrode is formed with a mercury containing well,

the lower end portion ol'. which is preferably contracted at 8 so that it will contain but a small amount of mercury. ln this wellt is a body of mercury or other suitable conductingr 'lhc u er end ol the wcll 8 is closed by a removalriie plug 9, preferably -ol inverted conical A CORPORATION.

' i'ispeci'icationyofiLetters'Patentii Patented Merch 2,

Appiicationm'ed February 21,1908. s'e'r'iaiNo 4i7,o21. i

andJv turned upside down.` In this donnee/tieni..

form having` a small axialA opening;through1 which the downwardly extended end portion;v 10a of one of the battery leads 10 is extended@` into thev body of mercury Y. f; This,- plug vis preferably made of lwood benyulcanized rubber oi other non-corrosive' materialeirThe l lead preferably quite; closely iitsithefaxialf.- I' perforation in the plug 9, but mayfbefeasilyf -.1 removed fromrworking position orfplacedinf. working position. `The plug Qis so securelys 1 held in position, by. surface friction.orotl'ier-fi` wise, that it will not bexaccidentallyf .fdisf placedrevenif the electrode 6 befremove'd' r.:;

it is important to-note that' thelinteriorf'con-'f struetio'ns-oi". the well 8 and of1-thiplu-g92lar suoliy that, when the e,lectrode-=is1thu`s ylplac'e" in a horizontal position, all or\.themercury;` will run into theA down-turned side portion of the well, and will not rise to the height of the horizontally turned axial erfoiation of the plug 9, and when said e ec'trode iszturned upside down, the mercury will not rise on the p ug to the height ofthe axial perforation thereof'. lai-ged upper portion of' the well and to the conical or tapered form of the plug. Such construction is important, because it prevents s )illing and .wasting the mercury whed the electrode is removed from. workin position and laid ina horizontal or inverte position, l as will be frequently done in raetice.

The body of mercury Y orms" a better electrical conductor between the lead and electrode' than can possibi be obtained 4by 90 a soldered joint or by a inding bolt and screw; and, in l'aet, forms a much better electrical connection than can be obtained in any other Way. f r

Preferably, the interior lwalls of the well 8 95 `are electro-plated with copperl or other metal, as indicated at 8b. This gives the best possible adhesion between the mercury and an electrode constructed of carbon, Y, graphite or similar material. The mercury used as a contact between the electrode and.

thel lead is'prel' `rablyeovered withoil or water Y to prevent evaporation and oxidation.

A carbon cl( \i'.trodc having a Well containing' mercury in direct contact with the, car- 105 bon wall olE said'u/.l is impractical, except when there is an extremely small am' ere flow, approximately ol one am iere or ess, because there no adhesion etween the mercury andthe carbon and, hence, there is This is, of course, ldue to the en- 80 here to the carbon.. 4stratel that copper 1s an extremely good material for ,eleetrolating the Walls of the Well in the carbon eectrode, because it is a good electrical conductor. It is truethat cop er Will-ama1gamate,.to some extent, Wit .the mercury, but I have found in prac tice that such amalgam-ation does not produce injurious disintegration after being in' continuous use for a period of eighteen months. I am unable to say what chemical action occurs which prevents Aall of the copper frombeing amalgamated with the mer cury, but tests conducted for the purpose of determinino' the amount of copper amalgamated with l the mercury show that the greatest amount of disintegration of the copper occurs the first few days after the mer` cury has been added; that this copper disintegration represents such a small quantity that it does not injure the contact; and that after the first few days th disintegration of copper is sofslow that it may be disregarded in practice. Other metals may be employed as the electro-plating metal, but advisably copper would. be used in most instances.

What I clalm 1s:

1. A carbon battery electrode formed with a Well having a metal electro-platedsurface and containing mercury, which mercury. and electro-plated surface are adav ted to form a contact between a lead and said electrode,

2. .Acarhon buttery electrode formed in its upper extremity with a well, the Walls of which :1re electro-plated 'with copper, and containing mercury, which mercury and copper electro-plated Walls are/adapted to forni an electrical contact between a lead and said electrode.

In testimony whereof I. a'llix my signature in lpresence of two witnesses.

JULIUS H. GUGLER. vitncsses 5H. W. Diem,

F. D. MERCHANT.

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