Gould Inc.

George W Mao

Purushothama Rao

Anthony Sabatino

Frederick L Marsh

Anthony Sabation

James F Trenter

Francis M Dunlevey

A lead oxide for use in making an active material for pasted lead-acid battery plates comprises a doped lead oxide, the dopant preferably being copper in an amount of about 0.01 to about 0.07 percent based upon the total weight of the lead oxide. The use of such a doped oxide imparts to the resulting battery improvement in various of the electrical performance characteristics such as, for example, internal resistance, capacity, cycle life and the like.

Lead oxide composition for use in lead-acid batteries

The present invention provides a maintenance-free battery having improved performance characteristics and utilizing a unique, hybrid combination of ternary alloys for the positive and negative grids. The positive grids are formed from a ternary, lead base alloy consisting essentially of lead, from about 1.0 to about 2.0% antimony and from about 1.2 to about 2.2% cadmium, the cadmium being present in an amount at least equal to the amount of antimony present; and the negative grids are formed from a ternary lead base alloy consisting essentially of lead, from 0.06 to about 0.20% calcium and from about 0.10 to about 0.40% tin, the percentages of each alloy being based on the alloy weight.

Maintenance-free battery

A maintenance-free battery having improved float current (i.e.-current draw) characteristics is provided by adding elemental zinc, or a zinc affording compound such as zinc sulfate to the battery in amounts sufficient to decrease the float current that would otherwise occur during voltage regulated overcharge. Rather than utilizing zinc alone, a mixture of zinc and cadmium may likewise be employed.

Method for reducing the float current of maintenance-free battery

A cadmium-tin-lead alloy composition containing at least 0.4 percent by weight of both cadmium and tin is used for forming the straps employed which weld together the lugs of the grids in lead-acid storage batteries. The relatively small amount of cadmium and tin provide a large volume fraction of a cadmium-tin eutectic phase that is low melting and serves to facilitate the welding. This alloy composition may also be used to form intercell connectors and terminal posts for such batteries.

Lead base cadmium-tin alloy useful for forming battery components

A maintenance-free battery having improved current draw characteristics is provided by adding elemental cadmium, or a cadmium affording compound such as cadmium sulfate to the electrolyte in amounts sufficient to decrease the current draw that would otherwise occur during overcharge.

Maintenance-free battery and method for reducing the current draw of

A method of fashioning a lead-acid storage battery capable of being stored after completing of the battery processing and thereafter activated by the addition of electrolyte includes adding conditioning quantities of a treating agent affording certain metallic sulfates to the formation electrolyte, a rince electrolyte or to a separate solution to obviate the necessity for removing, as by drying, all or substantially all of the electrolytes used to process the battery. Sufficient electrolyte is removed simply by draining, and the resulting battery can be stored for extended periods of time without significantly adversely affecting the performance of the activated battery.

Method of making a lead-acid storage battery, and cell, capable of

A method of fashioning a lead-acid storage battery capable of being stored after completing of the battery processing and thereafter activated by the addition of electrolyte includes adding conditioning quantities of a treating agent affording certain metallic sulfates to the formation electrolyte, a rinse electrolyte or to a separate solution to obviate the necessity for removing, as by drying, all or substantially all of the electrolytes used to process the battery. Sufficient electrolyte is removed simply by draining, and the resulting battery can be stored for extended periods of time without significantly adversely affecting the performance of the activated battery.

Growing community of inventors

Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

George W Mao