Battery electrode continuous casting drum, shoe, machine and method
AssigneeWirtz Manufacturing Company, Inc.
InventorsMichael R. Romeo, Jason P. Miller, Aleksander Mrdenovic, John O. Wirtz, John W. Wirtz, II
Life of this patent
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Abstract
For making battery electrodes, a composite strip of a cast ribbon of an electrically conductive metal attached to and extending along an edge of a web of electrically conductive carbon fiber material, also called a carbon felt in some examples, with a plurality of spaced apart notches cast in the ribbon and opening to an edge of the ribbon spaced from the carbon fiber material. A rotatable drum with a mold cavity and a confronting casting shoe for supplying molten metal, such as liquid lead, to the cavity may be used in a casting machine to continuous cast the composite strip.
Claims14
A system for continuous casting a composite strip of an electrically conductive metal attached along at least one edge of an elongate web of carbon fiber material, the system comprising:
- a mold comprising a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation;
- a circumferentially continuous portion of the drum configured to receive on part thereof a portion of the web of carbon fiber material for movement with the drum;
- at least one mold cavity extending circumferentially around the drum and configured in part to underlie an adjacent edge of the portion of the web of carbon fiber material received on the drum and extending transversely outward of the adjacent edge of the portion of the web of carbon fiber material;
- the at least one mold cavity configured to cast an elongate ribbon of electrically conductive metal attached to the adjacent edge of the portion of the web of carbon fiber material received on the drum and extending transversely outward thereof with an outer edge of the elongate ribbon of electrically conductive metal having a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart notches therethrough and opening to the outer edge of the elongate ribbon of electrically conductive metal;
- a casting shoe in confrontation with the drum of the mold at a first side of the drum, the casting shoe having a guide bar for supporting a portion of the web of carbon fiber material prior to receipt of the portion of the web of carbon fiber material between the casting shoe and the drum;
- and
- a carbon fiber material feed assembly situated at a second side of the drum and opposite of the first side of the drum, the carbon fiber material feed assembly feeding the web of carbon fiber material to the casting shoe and drum, the carbon fiber material feed assembly including a plurality of rollers, and the carbon fiber material feed assembly feeding the web of carbon fiber material from the second side of the drum that is opposite the first side of the drum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.