Lead Alloy Electrode Grid Lattice Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Lead-acid battery electrode grid alloys face issues with mechanical stability, corrosion resistance, and lattice growth, leading to capacity losses and reduced service life due to the 'aging' of the electrode material.

Innovation Solution

A lead alloy with a combination of lead, lanthanum, and other elements like calcium, tin, silver, bismuth, and aluminum, where lanthanum is used in specific proportions to refine grain sizes and inhibit lattice growth, enhancing mechanical stability and corrosion resistance while allowing for easy processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If lead-calcium-antimony alloys are used to provide mechanical stability, then the alloy has good mechanical strength, but antimony precipitates on the negative plate causing increased water loss and sulfation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemechanical stabilityVSAvoidantimony precipitation and water loss
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces antimony with calcium and adds lanthanide elements (0.003-0.006% by weight) to change the chemical composition parameters. This substitution eliminates antimony precipitation while maintaining mechanical stability through the synergistic effect of calcium and lanthanide elements on the alloy structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite lead alloy system containing lead, calcium (0.03-0.07% by weight), and lanthanide elements. This composite material combines the mechanical stability benefits of calcium with the grain-refining and stability-enhancing properties of lanthanides to achieve both strength and resistance to harmful effects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Object-generated harmful factors

If lead-calcium-cerium alloys are used to replace antimony for mechanical stability, then antimony precipitation is prevented, but the alloy tends to grow grids during operation causing capacity losses

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveantimony precipitation preventionVSAvoidlattice growth and grid stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent optimizes the lanthanide content to a specific range (0.003-0.006% by weight) to counteract the lattice growth tendency. This precise parameter control allows the lanthanide to strengthen the crystal lattice and inhibit grid growth while maintaining the antimony-free composition benefits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces lanthanide elements that locally refine the grain structure and strengthen specific regions of the alloy lattice. This local quality enhancement prevents grid growth at critical locations while maintaining overall alloy performance and calcium's beneficial effects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Stability of the object's composition

If higher lanthanide proportions are used to inhibit lattice growth, then grid stability improves, but manufacturing cost increases and processing becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelattice growth inhibitionVSAvoidprocessing difficulty and cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent identifies an optimal lanthanide concentration range (0.003-0.006% by weight) that provides sufficient lattice growth inhibition while minimizing manufacturing complexity and cost. This parameter optimization balances performance requirements with economic and processing considerations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses a small but sufficient amount of lanthanide (0.003-0.006% by weight) to achieve the desired lattice stabilization effect. This partial action approach avoids the need for excessive lanthanide additions, thereby reducing manufacturing cost and processing difficulty while still obtaining the necessary grid stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

4Ease of manufacture

If coarse-grained lattices are used to simplify manufacturing, then processing becomes easier, but corrosion resistance decreases due to deep penetration at grain boundaries

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidcorrosion resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces lanthanide elements that change the grain structure parameters, promoting fine-grained rather than coarse-grained lattices. This parameter change in microstructure achieves improved corrosion resistance through refined grain boundaries while maintaining manufacturability through the controlled addition of only 0.003-0.006% lanthanide.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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

The alloy reduces lattice growth, improves corrosion resistance, and extends the service life of lead-acid battery electrodes by maintaining mechanical stability and conductivity, leading to improved charging/discharging behavior and longer battery life.

Implementation Method 1

The alloy component cerium, on the other hand, serves to improve the corrosion properties by refining the grain sizes.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGrain size refinement: Crystallisation

Implementation Method 2

The lead alloy must therefore also be corrosion-resistant in addition to the aforementioned properties.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCorrosion resistance: Crevice Corrosion

Implementation Method 3

the lead alloy must have comparatively good mechanical stability in order to be able to carry both its own comparatively high weight and the weight of the electrode mass

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical stability: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP3896180B1Lead alloy, electrode and accumulator
Publication Date: 2023.07.26 HOPPECKE BATTERIEN GMBH & CO KG

AI summary

The invention relates to a lead alloy, in particular an electrode lattice alloy, consisting of: wherein the sum of all weight fractions of the alloy components in the lead alloy is 100 wt.%. Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of the lead alloys according to the invention, an electrode with an electrode framework which is at least partially formed from at least one of the lead alloys according to the invention, and a lead-acid battery with an electrode according to the invention.