Expand Grid Design for Lead-Acid Battery Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing expand grids for lead storage batteries produced by rotary and reciprocal methods face issues such as grid wire cracking due to uneven stress distribution, reduced productivity, and compromised life performance, particularly when using thick metal sheets or varying grid wire widths.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves optimizing the expand grid design by varying the widths of grid wires and the sectional areas of nodes, and adjusting the mesh shapes to distribute stress uniformly, ensuring that grid wires closer to the collector frame portion have larger widths and nodes have increased sectional areas to prevent cracking and enhance corrosion resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If grid wires of all rows are made with the same width, then the manufacturing process is simple, but grid wires closer to the collector frame portion are prone to cracking due to concentrated stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making grid wires of different widths depending on their position relative to the collector frame portion. Specifically, grid wires in rows closer to the collector frame portion (first through third rows) are made with a first width, while grid wires in other rows are made with a second width that is different from the first width. This localized variation in width allows stress to be distributed more evenly, preventing cracking in critical areas while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
2Reliability
If thick metal sheets are used to enhance corrosion resistance, then grid wire strength is improved, but productivity is reduced due to difficulty in processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the thickness of the metal sheet within a specific range (0.6mm to 1.2mm) and varying the grid wire widths (first width and second width) to achieve the desired balance between corrosion resistance and productivity. By carefully selecting these parameters, the patent enables the use of sufficiently thick metal sheets for corrosion resistance while maintaining processing feasibility and production efficiency through the optimized grid wire design.
3Reliability
If grid wire widths are varied to prevent cracking, then grid wire strength is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by varying grid wire widths only in specific rows (first through third rows near the collector frame portion) while keeping other rows at a different uniform width. This localized approach to differentiation minimizes manufacturing complexity compared to varying all grid wires, as it requires changes in only specific areas of the grid structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the grid wires into different groups based on their row positions relative to the collector frame portion. Grid wires in the first through third rows form one group with a first width, while grid wires in other rows form another group with a second width. This segmentation allows for systematic manufacturing where different width specifications are applied to different segments of the grid.
4Device complexity
If nodes have small sectional areas, then the expand grid structure is simple, but nodes are prone to cracking under stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by specifying that nodes have a sectional area that is two or more times the grid wire sectional area. This parameter optimization ensures that nodes, which are critical stress concentration points, have sufficient cross-sectional area to resist cracking while maintaining overall structural efficiency and avoiding excessive complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage battery is provided in which an expand grid is improved with respect to the widths of grid wires 1b, the sectional areas of nodes 1e, and the shapes of meshes 1c, whereby the productivity of the expand grid can be enhanced and the life performance can be improved. As means for attaining the object, a storage battery in which an expand grid is used as a battery plate, the expand grid being a grid member which is formed by expanding a side portion of a collector frame portion 1a of a metal sheet 1 to connect a large number of grid wires 1b to one another in a net-like shape, is configured so that widths of grid wires 1b of a row which is directly connected to the collector frame portion 1a of the expand grid, and a lateral end row are larger than widths of grid wires 1b of at least one of intermediate rows.