A method for evaluating the performance of positive electrode grids of lead/acid batteries

For a battery plane to function satisfactorily, there must be a good contact at the interface between the grid and active material. This is because the adhesion of the active material strongly effects the cell performance. The adhesion of the active material changes due to the state of the interface between the grid active material. In this study, the adhesion of active material is examined by evaluation of the grid surface. A grid with good adhesion of the active material has the following characteristics: (i) the change in the rest potential is fast; (ii) the lead sulfate membrane formed on the grid surface is thin, and (iii) the change in potential during the oxidation is slow. Good or bad adhesion of the active material can be judged using an evaluation method based on these criteria. The annealling treatment of the grid is investigated using this evaluation method. The optimum conditions of annealling are 170 °C and 24 h.