A device for casting electrode carriers for the production of lead grid electrodes in a continuous casting process is provided, which includes a casting drum, the surface of which has been engraved with the shape of the lead strip to be cast, and a casting shoe which rests on the outer circumference of the casting drum in the region of the horizontal axis drawn through the axis of rotation when the casting drum rotates counterclockwise, whereat the exiting liquid lead flows into the concave mold of the casting drum surface and is removable as a solidified lead strip at the lower vertex of the casting drum after three quarters of a rotation and whereat draft angles of less than 7 degrees, in particular less than 3 degrees are provided.

A method for manufacturing electrodes for lead-acid batteries includes producing a profiled strip blank in a casting process, wherein the casting process alone is sufficient to cause the strip blank to be formed of greater thickness on one side in a region corresponding to the upper frame element or the lower frame element than in another region corresponding to the meshed region; and producing the meshed region with the openings in a subsequent expanded metal process. In addition, an electrode produced by the method has an upper frame element, or a lower frame element, or both, and a meshed region extending away from the upper frame element, or the lower frame element, or both and having a plurality of openings. The upper frame element, the lower frame element, or both, is of greater thickness than the meshed region.

A method for manufacturing electrodes for lead-acid batteries includes producing a profiled strip blank in a casting process, wherein the casting process alone is sufficient to cause the strip blank to be formed of greater thickness on one side in a region corresponding to the upper frame element or the lower frame element than in another region corresponding to the meshed region; and producing the meshed region with the openings in a subsequent expanded metal process. In addition, an electrode produced by the method has an upper frame element, or a lower frame element, or both, and a meshed region extending away from the upper frame element, or the lower frame element, or both and having a plurality of openings. The upper frame element, the lower frame element, or both, is of greater thickness than the meshed region.

Methods for making lead-carbon coupling, lead-carbon electrode sheets, and a lead-carbon battery are revealed. The coupling methods consist of steps of assembling the carbon material that contains oxygen functional groups or metal precursors and lead material in contact with each other and then heating the assembled lead-carbon pair to form lead oxides or metal carbides as a bridge to form coupled lead-carbon interface with high electrochemical and mechanical stability. This coupled lead-carbon structure is applied to form lead-carbon electrode sheets and is further used as electrode sheets of lead-carbon batteries by lead welding.

Methods for making lead-carbon coupling, lead-carbon electrode sheets, and a lead-carbon battery are revealed. The coupling methods consist of steps of assembling the carbon material that contains oxygen functional groups or metal precursors and lead material in contact with each other and then heating the assembled lead-carbon pair to form lead oxides or metal carbides as a bridge to form coupled lead-carbon interface with high electrochemical and mechanical stability. This coupled lead-carbon structure is applied to form lead-carbon electrode sheets and is further used as electrode sheets of lead-carbon batteries by lead welding.

A shoe for dispensing a molten metal such as lead into a mold cavity of a rotating drum to continuously cast a web of a plurality of serially connected grids or battery composite electrodes of a carbon fiber material with a cast metal conductor. The shoe may have at least one elongate orifice slot in a face confronting the drum, a molten metal supply passage communicating with the orifice slot and an excess molten metal return slot opening into the confronting face downstream of the supply slot relative generally to the direction of rotation of the drum.

Battery parts, such as battery terminals, and associated systems and methods for making same. In one embodiment, a battery part has a sealing region or sealing bead located on a lateral face of an acid ring for increasing resistance to leakage therepast as the battery container shrinks. Another embodiment includes a forming assembly for use with, for example, a battery part having a bifurcated acid ring with spaced apart lips. The forming assembly can include movable forming members that can be driven together to peen, crimp, flare or otherwise form the lips on the bifurcated acid ring.

Battery parts, such as battery terminals, and associated systems and methods for making same. In one embodiment, a battery part has a sealing region or sealing bead located on a lateral face of an acid ring for increasing resistance to leakage therepast as the battery container shrinks. Another embodiment includes a forming assembly for use with, for example, a battery part having a bifurcated acid ring with spaced apart lips. The forming assembly can include movable forming members that can be driven together to peen, crimp, flare or otherwise form the lips on the bifurcated acid ring.

Machine for continuous casting of a lead alloy for forming grids for plates of electric storage batteries, which comprises a rotary drum having an external peripheral surface with a plurality of grooves obtained according to the grid design to be made and a sliding block coupled in sliding relation with the external surface of the rotary drum and with a distribution duct obtained in order to insert the molten lead in the plurality of grooves. The plurality of grooves comprises circumferential notches and transverse notches that meet in respective vertices. At the vertices and within the circumferential notches, a plurality of studs are placed that are intended to shape corresponding corners of smoothed form of the grids.

The present invention relates to a lead delivery apparatus (10) for a cast on strap machine arranged to deliver a predetermined volume of molten lead to a mould. The apparatus comprises a first needle valve (40), a second needle valve (50), and a housing (19). The housing (19) comprises a reservoir (30) having an inlet (31) and an outlet (32). The reservoir inlet (31) is in fluid communication with a molten lead supply. The reservoir (30) is supplied with molten lead during use such that the molten lead in the reservoir (30) is maintained at a constant height (34). The reservoir outlet (32) is defined in a lower portion of the reservoir (30) and is selectively openable and closable by the first needle valve (40). The apparatus (10) also comprises a volume block (20) having an inlet (22), an outlet (24) and a through cavity (26). The volume block inlet (22) is in fluid communication with the reservoir outlet (24), and the volume block inlet (22) is located below the reservoir outlet (24). The through cavity (26) together with the second needle valve (50) defines the predetermined volume of molten lead received from the reservoir (30) via the reservoir outlet (32). The volume block outlet (24) is selectively openable and closable by the second needle valve (50). The first needle valve (40) is selectively moveable between a first position and a second position, such that in a first position the reservoir outlet (32) is closed and the flow of molten lead between the reservoir (30) and the volume block (20) is prevented, and in a second position the reservoir outlet (32) is open, such that the flow of molten lead between the reservoir (30) and the volume block (20) is permitted until an equilibrium position has been reached, which defines the predetermined volume. Moreover, the second needle valve (50) is selectively moveable between a first position and a second position, such that in a first position the volume block outlet (24) is closed and the flow of molten lead between the volume block (20) and a mould is prevented, and in a second position the volume block outlet (24) is open, such that the predefined volume of molten lead is permitted to flow between the volume block (20) and the mould.