Lead-Acid Battery Electrode Impregnation via Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in lead-acid battery electrode manufacture is the difficulty in impregnating active paste into fibre materials with tight interfibre spacing, particularly at high production speeds, due to high yield stress and frictional resistance, which affects battery performance and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a confined pasting zone with vibrating and pressurized Pb-based particle paste, applied to fibre materials with interfibre spacing up to 100 microns, to continuously impregnate the paste through the fibre material, overcoming flow resistance and surface tension forces, while maintaining tension and speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If paste is applied to fibre material with tight interfibre spacing at high production speed, then productivity is improved, but paste penetration becomes insufficient due to high yield stress and frictional resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical vibration to the paste during the impregnation process. The vibration device generates vibrational energy that reduces the yield stress of the paste and facilitates its penetration into the tight interfibre spacing of the fibre material, enabling effective impregnation at high production speeds without compromising paste distribution uniformity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the paste by applying vibration, which temporarily alters the paste's rheological properties. The vibrational energy reduces the effective yield stress and viscosity during the impregnation process, allowing the paste to flow more easily into the fibre material's interstices while maintaining controlled application at high speeds
2Manufacturing precision
If pressure is increased to overcome yield stress and impregnate paste into fibre material, then paste penetration is improved, but paste waste and surface skin formation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vibration applied to the paste reduces the pressure required for effective impregnation by lowering the paste's yield stress through vibrational energy. This allows sufficient paste penetration into the fibre material at reduced pressure levels, minimizing excess paste application and subsequent waste while preventing surface skin formation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent partially replaces the mechanical pressure system with a vibrational energy system. Instead of relying solely on high pressure to force paste into the fibre material, the vibration component facilitates penetration through rheological modification, reducing the mechanical pressure needed and thereby reducing paste waste and surface skin formation
3Stability of the object's composition
If paste viscosity is increased to maintain structure, then paste stability is improved, but paste impregnation into fibre material becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The vibration device temporarily modifies the paste's rheological properties during impregnation, reducing its effective viscosity and yield stress through vibrational energy. This allows the structured paste to be easily impregnated into the fibre material while maintaining its compositional stability before and after the impregnation process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic conditions to the paste application process by applying vibration during impregnation. The paste's rheological properties become dynamic rather than static, allowing it to temporarily reduce viscosity under vibrational influence for easy impregnation, then regain structural stability when the vibration ceases
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables efficient impregnation of the paste into fibre materials at high speeds, achieving uniform mass loading and improved battery performance with minimal paste waste and surface skin, facilitating high-volume manufacturing of lead-acid batteries for hybrid vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
vibrating the paste in the confined pasting zone to continuously impregnate the paste through a major surface of the moving fibre material
Implementation Method 2
maintaining a pressure on the vibrating paste to continuously impregnate the paste through a major surface of the moving fibre material
Data Source
AI summary
A method for impregnating an active paste into a fibre material in the manufacture of an electrode of a lead acid battery or cell, comprises moving a fibre material through a confined pasting zone also containing a Pb-based paste, while vibrating and maintaining a pressure on the paste, to continuously impregnate the paste into the fibre material. A paste impregnating machine is also disclosed, with a fibre material feed system, and which may use a lug along the fibre material to draw the fibre material through the paste application stage.