A multi-layered approach for absorptive glass-mat separators

The traditional method of manufacturing absorptive glass mats (AGMs) for valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries is to blend two or more types of fibres together in an aqueous acidic solution and deposit this blend on to either a moving endless wire or a roto-former (another version of an endless wire). The sheet acquires consistency as the water is withdrawn; it is then pressed and dried against heated drums. The methods of fibre dispersion and deposition can be changed so that the different constituent fibre types of an AGM separator are processed separately in distinct and separate layers. This fibre segregation results in the enhancement of some key characteristics of the separator and thus brings some very definite advantages to the performance of VRLA batteries, e.g., the ability to deliver higher currents at higher discharge rates. Also, important AGM characteristics, such as wicking, porosity/pore-size and stratification, are radically modified by adoption of the multi-layered AGM design. As a consequence, the high-rate and cycling performances of VRLA batteries are equally affected. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.