Battery Grid Segmentation to Prevent Corrosion Growth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery grids are prone to shorting due to corrosion-induced growth, which can occur vertically and lead to electrical contact with adjacent electrodes of opposite polarity, despite the use of separators to prevent direct contact.
Innovation Solution
The battery grid design incorporates modifications such as 'weak links,' fuses, distortions, notches, indents, angled elements, and engineered buffer zones to redirect or absorb the stress caused by corrosion, thereby preventing vertical growth and potential shorting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If grids are made from lead or lead alloy to provide structural support and electrical conduction, then the grid maintains mechanical strength and electrical conductivity, but the grid corrodes over time causing growth that may lead to shorting of the battery cell
Solution Approach 1:
The grid wire elements are segmented by removing portions to create discontinuities. This segmentation prevents continuous vertical growth along the wire elements while maintaining structural support and electrical conduction through the remaining segments and alternative pathways via the frame and nodes.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame structure acts as an intermediary element that provides structural support and alternative electrical conduction pathways. When vertical wire elements are discontinuous, the frame and nodes serve as mediators to maintain electrical connectivity while preventing direct vertical growth that would cause shorting.
2Use of energy by moving object
If vertical grid wire elements are continuous to ensure electrical conduction, then electrical conductivity is maintained, but corrosion-induced growth in the vertical direction causes contact with adjacent electrodes of opposite polarity
Solution Approach 1:
Vertical grid wire elements are divided into separate segments by removing portions between nodes. This segmentation interrupts continuous vertical growth pathways while maintaining electrical conductivity through the segments and alternative routes via the frame and nodes, preventing corrosion-induced shorting.
Solution Approach 2:
Electrical conduction is redirected from purely vertical pathways to multi-dimensional pathways involving horizontal frame elements and diagonal bracing. This dimensional redistribution of current flow paths maintains conductivity while eliminating the continuous vertical growth problem.
3Productivity
If a dense grid structure is used to maximize active material support, then the battery capacity is increased, but the grid is more susceptible to shorting due to corrosion growth
Solution Approach 1:
The dense grid structure is modified by segmenting vertical wire elements into discontinuous segments. This maintains the dense support structure for active material while interrupting the continuous vertical pathways that enable corrosion-induced shorting, thus preserving capacity while improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The grid structure has different properties in different locations: continuous horizontal frame elements provide structural stability, while discontinuous vertical wire elements prevent vertical growth. This local differentiation allows dense active material support without the shorting risk of continuous vertical pathways.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 5~7B
AI summary
A battery grid includes a frame that includes a top element, a bottom element, a first side element, and a second side element. The battery grid also includes a plurality of wires provided within the frame and defining a plurality of open areas and a current collection lug extending from the top element in a first direction. The battery grid further includes at least one feature provided in the battery grid that is configured to reduce the amount of growth of the battery grid in the first direction due to corrosion of the battery grid during the life of the battery grid.