Gould Inc.

David B Parkinson

Truman D Parkinson

James T Konishi

An improved battery plate comprises a grid or web of woven non-conductive material having lead metal or other electrically conductive material wires as some of the weft and possibly some of the warp threads. By alternately applying positive and negative active materials at laterally spaced locations across a wide web of such material and gathering portions of lead wires to form terminals, plate pairs are produced which are joined by a length of woven material of suitable strength for supporting the plates in a battery. Thus, pure lead metal wires may be used for improved electro-chemical properties, while simultaneously a great reduction in plate weight is achieved. A method of making such plates is also disclosed.

Method of manufacturing battery plates

A composite battery plate grid and processes for making the same are disclosed. The novel grid is a composite of a flexible electrically non-conductive web material with a plurality of electrically conductive threads interlaced therein. The web material provides structural support for the grid while the electrically conductive threads form electrical connections for collecting current from an active material on the grid. The electrically conductive threads are incorporated within the web material as warp threads in one embodiment and as weft or filler threads in another. A third embodiment discloses the electrically conductive threads integrated as a pattern within the web material in a combination of the warp and weft directions. A process embodiment is described for manufacturing the composite grids which includes weaving the electrically conductive threads together with threads of the web material to form an interlaced matrix of web material and conductor threads in any of the disclosed forms of the structural embodiments. A second process embodiment describes forming the composite grid structures by sewing or inserting the conductor threads into the web material after the material has been woven.

Composite battery plate grid

Battery plate and methods of manufacture

Apparatus for manufacturing expanded sheet stock is disclosed. The apparatus includes a stationary knife having a cutting edge defining one edge of a strip feed slot. While the strip is fed through the slot, a movable knife passes across the slot to form half-diamond-shaped openings in the strip with each stroke. The movable knife has a cutting edge which is defined by a plurality of adjacent obelisk teeth and those teeth form the half-diamond openings during each stroke. The movable cutting knife is driven relative to the stationary knife in planar alignment therewith and in simple harmonic motion while the strip is fed through the slot so that any point on the cutting edge of an obelisk tooth sequentially shears the strip in a recurring sequence to provide half-tooth spacing between successive cuts. Such spacing results in a characteristic diamond-shaped opening in the expanded metal. According to a preferred aspect of this invention, four feed slots are provided and two movable knives have parallel cutting edges which respectively serve adjacent feed slots. The knives are driven in opposite directions to minimize machine vibration, and the knife driving mechanisms are also driven in opposite directions. According to a further aspect of this invention, the strip feed mechanism operates continuously and the strip is intermittently stopped by the shearing action of the movable knife. According to another aspect of this invention, a clamp holds the strip against the stationary cutting knife during the shearing operation.

Machine for making expanded metal

Apparatus for manufacturing expanded sheet stock is disclosed. The apparatus includes a stationary knife having a cutting edge defining one edge of a strip feed slot. While the strip is fed through the slot, a movable knife passes across the slot to form half-diamond-shaped openings in the strip with each stroke. The movable knife has a cutting edge which is defined by a plurality of adjacent obelisk teeth and those teeth form the half-diamond openings during each stroke. The movable cutting knife is driven relative to the stationary knife in planar alignment therewith and in sample harmonic motion while the strip is fed through the slot so that any point on the cutting edge of an obelisk tooth sequentially shears the strip in a recurring sequence to provide half-tooth spacing between successive cuts. Such spacing results in a characteristic diamond-shaped opening in the expanded metal. According to a preferred aspect of this invention, four feed slots are provided and two movable knives have parallel cutting edges which respectively serve adjacent feed slots. The knives are driven in opposite directions to minimize machine vibration, and the knife driving mechanisms are also driven in opposite directions. According to a further aspect of this invention, the strip feed mechanism operates continuously and the strip is intermittently stopped by the shearing action of the movable knife. According to another aspect of this invention, a clamp holds the strip against the stationary cutting knife during the shearing operation.

Growing community of inventors

Cleveland Heights, OH, United States of America

David B Parkinson