Émile Alphonse Faure
Encyclopedia
Camille Alphonse Faure was a French chemical engineer who in 1881 significantly improved the design of the Lead-acid battery
, which had been invented by Gaston Planté
in 1865. Faure's improvements greatly increased the capacity of such batteries and led directly to their manufacture on an industrial scale.
on 21 May 1840 and trained at the Ecole des Arts et Métiers at Aix . From 1874 till about 1880 he worked as a chemist at the new factory of the Cotton Powder Company at Uplees
, Faversham
, Kent
, England . While there, he and the factory manager, George Trench, took out patents for Tonite
(a new high explosive) (1874) and an improved dynamite detonator (1878) .
In 1880 Faure patented a method of coating lead
plates with a paste of lead oxides, sulphuric acid
and water
, which was then cured by being gently warmed in a humid atmosphere. The curing process caused the paste to change to a mixture of lead sulphates which adhered to the lead plate. During charging the cured paste was converted into electrochemically active material (the "active mass") and gave a substantial increase in capacity compared with Planté's battery.. This was a significant breakthrough that led to the industrial manufacture of lead-acid batteries, as now used for starting motor cars.
Towards the end of his life Faure was granted further patents, among them ones for the manufacture of aluminium alloys and improvements to hot air engines and motor vehicle steering mechanisms.
Lead-acid battery
Lead–acid batteries, invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston Planté, are the oldest type of rechargeable battery. Despite having a very low energy-to-weight ratio and a low energy-to-volume ratio, their ability to supply high surge currents means that the cells maintain a relatively large...
, which had been invented by Gaston Planté
Gaston Planté
Gaston Planté was the French physicist who invented the lead-acid battery in 1859. The lead-acid battery eventually became the first rechargeable electric battery marketed for commercial use.Planté was born on April 22, 1834, in Orthez, France...
in 1865. Faure's improvements greatly increased the capacity of such batteries and led directly to their manufacture on an industrial scale.
Biography
He was born at VizilleVizille
Vizille is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France.Vizille is home to the Musée de la Révolution Française de Vizille, a rich depository of archival and rare materials devoted to the French Revolution, housed since 1984 in the Château de Vizille, a Monument Historique. The library...
on 21 May 1840 and trained at the Ecole des Arts et Métiers at Aix . From 1874 till about 1880 he worked as a chemist at the new factory of the Cotton Powder Company at Uplees
Uplees
Uplees is a hamlet north of Faversham in southeast England. It was a key part of the Faversham explosives industry during World War I, with the Cotton Powder Company importing raw materials via the deepwater channel of the Swale, and the associated Explosives Loading Company exporting completed...
, Faversham
Faversham
Faversham is a market town and civil parish in the Swale borough of Kent, England. The parish of Faversham grew up around an ancient sea port on Faversham Creek and was the birthplace of the explosives industry in England.-History:...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England . While there, he and the factory manager, George Trench, took out patents for Tonite
Tonite (explosive)
Tonite is an explosive sometimes used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It consists of a mixture of equal weights of barium nitrate and guncotton.According to "Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise" by P...
(a new high explosive) (1874) and an improved dynamite detonator (1878) .
In 1880 Faure patented a method of coating lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
plates with a paste of lead oxides, sulphuric acid
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
and water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, which was then cured by being gently warmed in a humid atmosphere. The curing process caused the paste to change to a mixture of lead sulphates which adhered to the lead plate. During charging the cured paste was converted into electrochemically active material (the "active mass") and gave a substantial increase in capacity compared with Planté's battery.. This was a significant breakthrough that led to the industrial manufacture of lead-acid batteries, as now used for starting motor cars.
Towards the end of his life Faure was granted further patents, among them ones for the manufacture of aluminium alloys and improvements to hot air engines and motor vehicle steering mechanisms.