Things a Boy Should Know About Electricity: Second EditionSt. John, Thomas M. (Thomas Matthew)
Science
Things a Boy Should Know About Electricity: Second Edition
St. John, Thomas M. (Thomas Matthew)
Electricity
Fig. 81 shows two lead plates, A and B, immersed in dilute sulphuric
acid, and connected with two ordinary cells. A strong current will pass
through the liquid between A and B at first, but it will quickly become
weaker, as chemical changes take place in the liquid. This may be shown
by a galvanometer put in the circuit before beginning the experiment.
By disconnecting the wires from the cells and joining them to the
galvanometer, it will be shown that a current comes from the lead
plates. This arrangement may be called a simple storage cell. Regular
storage cells are charged with the current from a dynamo. (See "Study,"
Exp. 151.)
[Illustration: Fig. 82.]
The first storage cells were made of plain lead plates, rolled up in
such a way that they were close to each other, but did not touch. These
were placed in dilute sulphuric acid. They were charged in alternate
directions several times, until the lead became properly acted upon, at
which time the cell would furnish a current.
A great improvement was made in 1881, by Faure, who coated the plates
with red lead.
[Illustration: Fig. 83.]
The method now generally practiced is to cast a frame of lead, with
raised right-angled ribs on each side, thus forming little depressed
squares, or to punch a lead plate full of holes, which squares or holes
are then filled with a pasty mixture of red oxide of lead in positive
plates, and with litharge in negatives. In a form called the chloride
battery, instead of cementing lead oxide paste into or against a lead
framing in order to obtain the necessary active material, the latter is
obtained by a strictly chemical process.
Fig. 82 shows a storage cell with plates, etc., contained in a glass
jar. Fig. 83 shows a cell of 41 plates, set up in a lead-lined wood
tank. Fig. 84 shows three cells joined in series. Many storage cells
are used in central electric light stations to help the dynamos during
the "rush" hours at night. They are charged during the day when the
load on the dynamos is not heavy.
Fig. 85 shows another form of storage cell containing a number of
plates.
[Illustration: Fig. 84.]
=87. The Uses of Storage Batteries= are almost numberless. The current
can be used for nearly everything for which a constant current is
adapted, the following being some of its applications: Carriage
propulsion; electric launch propulsion; train lighting; yacht lighting;
carriage lighting; bicycle lighting; miners' lamps; dental, medical,
surgical, and laboratory work; phonographs; kinetoscopes; automaton
pianos; sewing-machine motors; fan motors; telegraph; telephone;
electric bell; electric fire-alarm; heat regulating; railroad switch
and signal apparatus.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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