Johns Manville

Manville Corporation

Manville Service Corporation

Schuller International, Inc.

Phillip Charles Martin

Michael John Cusick

Don August Forte

Joseph Rumiesz, Jr

Monroe William Shumate

William Michael Gregg

Clifford W Cain, Jr

Steven R Martinez

Francis Y Willingham

Carl R Linden

Ralph M Hutchison

A starved electrolyte battery utilizes resilient fibrous mat electrode plate separators. The resilient electrode plate separators extend beyond the peripheral edges of the electrode plates in the plate stack(s) of the battery and a) encapsulate, at least the major surfaces and certain portions, preferably all, of the electrode plate edges, and b) form electrolyte reservoirs within the battery external of the plate stack(s). Preferably, the resilient fibrous mat separators are made of microfibers and may be essentially uniform in density throughout their thicknesses or may include one or two relatively high density, high tensile strength fibrous surface layer(s) and a relatively low density, more resilient fibrous layer integral with and, in one embodiment, intermediate the two surface layers.

Battery with encapsulated electrode plates

Resilient battery separator media, especially adapted for use as battery separators for starved electrolyte batteries, are formed from air laid, fibrous mats of randomly oriented, entangled microfibers which may be needled to further entangle the fibers. The fibrous mats may be essentially uniform in density throughout their thickness or may include one or two relatively high density, high tensile strength fibrous surface layer(s) and a relatively low density, more resilient fibrous layer integral with and, in one embodiment, intermediate the two surface layers wherein the fibers in the surface layer(s) of the mats are more entangled than the fibers in the resilient layer. The fibrous mats, with one or two surface layers, are formed from the air laid fibrous mats by further entangling the fibers at and adjacent one or both surfaces of the mats, e.g. through hydroentanglement, relative to the entanglement of the fibers in the resilient fibrous layer. The fibrous mats with substantially uniform densities may be made by flooding the air laid mats with a liquid and drawing a vacuum though the mats. Preferably, no organic binders are used in the mats. However, the fibers of the mats may be treated with an acid solution to hydrolyze the surfaces of the fibers and bond the entangled fibers together at their points of intersection.

Method of making resilient battery separator media

A resilient battery separator, especially suited for use in a starved electrolyte battery, is made of an air laid fibrous mat of randomly oriented, entangled microfibers having a mean diameter between 0.5 and 2.0 microns. The air laid mat weighs between 50 and 450 g/m.sup.2 and has a thickness between 0.01 and 0.5 inches. The fibrous mat may be essentially uniform in density throughout its thickness or may include one or two relatively high density, high tensile strength fibrous surface layer(s) and a relatively low density, more resilient fibrous layer integral with and, in one embodiment, intermediate the two surface layers. The microfibers in the surface layer(s) are more entangled than the microfibers in the resilient layer. In a starved electrolyte battery, the separator has a thickness, when subjected to a loading of 1.5 psi, that is equal to or greater than the spacing between the electrode plates of the battery and, preferably, at least 110% of the spacing between the electrode plates of the battery.

Resilient battery separator media and a battery including the resilient

A low density, high temperature resistant insulation material that is very thermally efficient, is easily moldable and is unaffected by water. The insulation material is especially suitable for use in aviation, aerospace and automotive applications. The insulation material contains inorganic fiber; inorganic binder; hydrophilic particulate inorganic material; hydrophobic particulate inorganic material; polymer; and preferably a setting agent and an opacifier.

Extrudable microporous insulation

Inorganic fibrous pipe insulation in the shape of a tube comprising outer and inner flexible sheets on the outer and inner cylindrical surfaces of the tube. A majority of the fibers are at right angles to the flexible sheets and therefore extend radially of the pipe to offer good compression resistance to impact. By using substantially non-stretchable material for the inner sheet a fibrous layer whose fibers are generally perpendicular to the layer can be permanently formed into generally cylindrical shape. For insulation designed to cover very small diameter pipes the thickness of the fibrous layer is varied to provide fewer adjacent the inner flexible sheet than are adjacent the outer flexible sheet.

Pipe insulation

A process is described for the formation of shaped hydrated calcium silicate products. The process comprises reacting an aqueous slurry containing a source of calcium hydroxide, perlite as a source of silica, and a soluble calcium salt in the presence of high pressure saturated steam, then adding cooling water followed by subsequent venting of the reactor vessel to ambient pressure. Reinforcing fibers may then be added after which the desired shapes are molded and dried.

Process for forming hydrated calcium silicate products

An asbestos-free mineral article useful as thermal insulation is described into which a visual identifying material is incorporated. The identifying material may be any of a variety of inorganic particulate materials such as particulate minerals, colored glass fibers or spheres, metal flakes or wires and the like. Preferred are mica flakes, present as 0.5% to 10% by weight of the article.

Growing community of inventors

Conifer, CO, United States of America

Phillip Charles Martin