Electrochemical cell having a serpentine anode with a plurality of interleaved cathode plates having extending tabs stacked and connected to each other by a welded surrounding metal hoop

Abstract

An electrochemical cell comprising an electrode assembly formed from an elongate anode that is folded into a serpentine configuration with a plurality of cathode plates interleaved between the folds is described. To make a robust and secure connection of the respective cathode tabs to a cathode terminal, the tabs are folded into an overlapping and stacked relationship. The proximal end of a metal strip is wrapped around the stacked cathode tabs and then a laser is used to weld through all layers of the metal strip and each of the bound cathode tabs. The laser welds are visible from the opposite side of the thusly formed strip-shaped hoop surrounding the stacked cathode tabs from which the laser beam first contacted the assembly. This provides the welding engineer with a visual indication that the welded connection of the metal strip-shaped hoop to the stacked cathode tabs is robust and structurally sound.