Method of making a battery plate

Abstract

A battery grid includes a grid network having a plurality of spaced apart grid wire elements. Each grid wire element has opposed ends joined to one of a plurality of nodes, each node includes a juncture of one of one of the opposed ends of the plurality of grid wire elements, to define a plurality of open spaces in the grid network. In various embodiments, at least one of the grid wire elements has a first transverse cross-section intermediate its opposed ends that is a different shape than a second transverse cross-section at at least one of the grid wire element's opposed ends. In various embodiments, the battery grid also includes a lead alloy coating on substantially all of the grid wire elements, wherein the lead alloy coating is exposed to an inert gas during the coating of the grid wire elements.

1 . A method of producing battery grids comprising:
 providing a strip of material comprising lead;   removing material from the strip to form a plurality of interconnected grids, each interconnected grid comprising a plurality of wires having opposed ends and joined to at least one of a plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of interconnected grids includes a plurality of vertical grid wires and a plurality of horizontal wires;   deforming at least one of the plurality of wires such that the at least a portion of the deformed wire has a non-rectangular cross-sectional shape; and   applying a lead alloy coating to the strip by immersing the strip in a melt of the lead alloy coating.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the strip comprises a lead-calcium alloy and the coating comprises a lead-tin alloy. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the lead-tin alloy comprises a range from 90 and 99 weight percent lead and a range from 1 and 10 weight percent tin. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the lead-tin alloy further comprises antimony. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the lead-tin alloy comprises a range from 80 and 98 weight percent lead, a range from 1 and 10 weight percent tin, and a range from 1 and 10 weight percent antimony. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of applying a lead alloy coating to the strip further comprises introducing a gas into the melt of the lead alloy coating while immersing the strip in the melt. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the gas is an inert gas. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein introducing the gas into the melt of the lead alloy coating includes blowing the gas into the melt of the lead alloy coating forming bubbles. 
     
     
         9 . A method of making a battery grid comprising:
 providing a strip of material comprising lead;   stamping material out of the strip to form a battery grid having a thickness defined by opposed planar surfaces, the battery grid having a frame surrounding a grid network, the grid network comprising a plurality of grid wire elements and nodes interconnecting the grid wire elements to define a plurality of open spaces in the grid network, the grid wire elements and nodes having a substantially rectangular transverse cross section;   deforming at least a portion of the grid network of the battery grid to form a plurality of grid wire elements having a transverse cross-section with a reshaped outer surface and a plurality of nodes having a transverse cross-section with a reshaped outer surface without altering the thickness of the grid wire elements; and   applying a lead alloy coating to the battery grid.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the step of applying a lead alloy coating to the battery grid comprises immersing the grid in a melt of the lead alloy coating. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the step of applying a lead alloy coating to the battery grid further comprises blowing an inert gas into the melt of the lead alloy coating while immersing the strip in the melt. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the step of applying a lead alloy coating to the battery grid comprises spraying a melt of the lead alloy coating on the battery grid. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising quenching the battery grid in a fluid bath after the step of applying the lead alloy coating to the battery grid. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising age hardening the battery grid at an elevated temperature after the step of applying the lead alloy coating to the battery grid. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the elevated temperature is above 25 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the strip comprises a lead-calcium alloy and the coating comprises a lead-tin alloy. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the lead-tin alloy comprises a range from 90 and 99 weight percent lead and a range from 1 and 10 weight percent tin. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the lead-tin alloy further comprises antimony. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the lead-tin alloy comprises a range from 80 and 98 weight percent lead, a range from 1 and 10 weight percent tin, and a range from 1 and 10 weight percent antimony. 
     
     
         20 . A method of making a battery comprising:
 providing a strip of material comprising a lead-calcium alloy;   removing material from the strip to form a plurality of interconnected grids, each interconnected grid comprising a plurality of wires having opposed ends and joined to at least one of a plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of interconnected grids includes a plurality of vertical grid wires and a plurality of horizontal wires;   deforming at least one of the plurality of wires such that the at least a portion of the deformed wire has a non-rectangular cross-sectional shape;   applying a lead-tin alloy coating to the strip;   heating the strip to a temperature above 25 degrees Celsius to age harden the alloy coated strip;   applying battery paste to the strip;   cutting the strip of interconnected battery grids to form a plurality of battery plates; and   assembling the plurality of battery plates into a battery.