Method of making alkaline battery with gap between pellets

A method of making an alkaline battery comprising:

• press-fitting a plurality of positive electrode pellets inside of an open end of a positive electrode can, the positive electrode can being cylindrical in shape and closed at an end opposite to the open end,
• the positive electrode pellets being tubular in shape, the press-fitting being performed in such a manner as to insert a first pellet of the positive electrode pellets into the positive electrode can to closely contact a bottom portion of the positive electrode can, and then stack remaining pellets of the positive electrode pellets coaxially with the first pellet, inside of and in contact with the positive electrode can, with gaps between adjacent positive electrode pellets, the tubular positive electrode pellets extending only a fixed, predetermined distance towards an axis of the positive electrode can, the gaps and the positive electrode pellets having a ratio of a sum s of length of the gaps between the positive electrode pellets axially along the positive electrode can to a sum d of lengths of the positive electrode pellets axially along the positive electrode can, the ratio being 1 to 14%,
• the press-fitting being followed by disposing a separator inside of cylindrical inner side surfaces of the tubular pellets, followed by
• filling an inner peripheral side of the separator with a negative electrode mixture, followed by
• inserting a negative electrode current collector into the negative electrode mixture;
• followed by
• sealing the open end of the positive electrode can with a negative electrode terminal plate,
• wherein the negative electrode mixture contains a powder mainly containing zinc, the powder containing particles with a granularity of 75 μm or less in a range of 25 to 40 mass %,
• wherein further the positive electrode pellets contain manganese dioxide and a conductive material, the positive electrode pellets having a density in a range of 3.0 to 3.7 g/cm3, and containing graphite as the conductive material in a range of 5 to 20 mass % with respect to the manganese dioxide.