From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Report discussing the construction, durability, and types of lead battery plates for motor car service.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\E\September1920\ Scan34 | |
| Date | 6th September 1920 | |
| Contd. -2- EFC2/T6.9.20. strength of the grid. Our own experience would seem to show that the amount of lead used in the construction of these plates is rather less than is satisfactory for motor car service in which vibration and overcharging are experienced. Although it is stated by Mr. McKinnon that the antimonial lead is unaffected, except on the surface, by repeated charging and discharging, we cannot well believe this, as we think we have good evidence that the peroxidisation of the lead is carried on to a greater depth than the mere surface. He appeared to hold the view that the bursting of a plate was due to sufficient tension being set up on the original cross sectional area of the material. We, however, feel that the durability of the plates would be considerably increased if more metal was put in round the edges. We brought back with us two sample grids of our standard battery which represent either the positive or the negative, these being similar. We are sendingone of these on to Mr. Royce for his inspection. The other we shall attempt to destroy by repeated charge and discharge. There is also the "Chloride" type of battery in which the negative plates are pasted, but the paste is held in place by antimonial lead gauze which is applied to either side of the plate. The positives are grids of antiminial lead with a number of circular holes into which are let little spirals wound from corrugated strips of pure lead by special machinery. This type of plate has to be formed in the Contd. [Text printed upside down at the bottom of the page] R:R.{Sir Henry Royce} 235A (100 T) (S.G. 642, 19-2-20) G 2618 | ||