A motorcycle battery is an electrical storage device that is used for storing electrical

energy which is generated by a reversible chemical reaction between the lead and
the acid in the battery. Furthermore, a mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water
which is known as the battery electrolyte or battery acid is added to
the motorcycle batteries and used as a conductor between the lead in the battery.
Thus, battery acid is used to create an electrical charge.
In addition, the motorcycle battery is classified into three types: Wet cell batteries,
Dry cell batteries, and Gel motorcycle batteries.

 Wet cell batteries are also known as conventional batteries, lead-acid

batteries, and flooded cell batteries.
 Dry cell batteries are also known as sealed type batteries and maintenance-
free batteries.
 Gel motorcycle batteries are also known as gel acid batteries and gel-filled
batteries.

Now, let’s know the difference between all the three types of batteries.
Type 1: Wet cell batteries
Wet cell batteries – also called conventional batteries, lead-acid batteries, and
flooded cell batteries hold the battery cell’s electrolytes in the liquid acid.
Furthermore, these batteries give off hydrogen gas while charging or discharging
which is highly explosive and toxic and not a kind of nice stuff. These lead acid or
wet cell batteries can be easily distinguished by a row of plastic stoppers in the top
where you can see 3 stoppers in a 6-volt battery and 6 stoppers in a 12-volt battery.
These conventional batteries have lower and higher battery acid levels on the front
and have an opaque/white plastic lower casing.
Furthermore, the reference numbers of these lead-acid batteries start with the letters
YB, CB, or GB (e.g. YB14L-A2), Y, C or G (e.g. Y60-N-24L-A) or 12N (e.g. 12N24-3).
However, it is necessary to check these batteries frequently and top up with the
distilled water (not battery acid) up to the upper-level mark as the water portion of
the battery acid gets used up with the time.
Type 2: Dry Cell Batteries
Dry cell batteries or maintenance-free batteries or sealed batteries are supplied with
the acid separately. Once these batteries are filled and the cap is placed in the top,
there is no need for further monitoring or topping up the acid. Furthermore, these dry
cell batteries have a stopper sunk into the top and are available in a black or blue or
grey case. These maintenance-free batteries once filled, are hermetically sealed and
cannot be refilled again. Hence, no need to remove the top cap and check the acid
level.
In addition, the reference numbers of these sealed or dry cell motorcycle batteries
start with the letters YTX, CTX or GTX (e.g. YTX9-BS). These maintenance-free
motorcycle batteries operate under pressure which enables it to recombine the
oxygen and hydrogen produced during charging back into the water. Furthermore,
these motorcycle batteries store the electrolytes in a low moisture paste.
Type 3: Gel Motorcycle Batteries
Gel motorcycle batteries or gel acid batteries or gel-filled batteries always come in
the black or blue or grey casing along with the black or blue or grey top. In these type
of batteries, the gel acid doesn’t move around and often used in bikes where the
battery has to lie on its side or at an angle. They don’t require any topping up as
these gel motorcycle batteries filled with gel state acid are completely sealed while
manufacturing. Furthermore, in order to recombine the oxygen and hydrogen that is
produced during charging into the water, these gel acid batteries tend to operate
under pressure.

Lead-acid battery
A type of battery that uses plates made of pure lead or lead oxide
for the electrodes and sulfuric acid for the electrolyte
References

1. Jump up↑ http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/solar_glossary.html

Lead Acid Battery Working Principle

As sulphuric acid is used as an electrolyte in the battery, when it gets dissolved, the
molecules in it are dispersed as SO4– (negative ions) and 2H+ (positive ions) and these will
have free movement.

A Lead Acid Battery consists of Plates, Separator, and Electrolyte, Hard Plastic with a
hard rubber case. In the batteries, the plates are of two types, positive and negative. The
positive one consists of Lead dioxide and negative one consists of Sponge Lead.
Know About the Steps of Battery
Manufacturing Process
March 29, 2019 By Dave

Lead-Acid Battery

Battery is an essential requirement to start electrically operating equipments,

especially in electrically operated vehicles. And also, in case of mains failures or
interruptions in power supply, a standby or backup power is necessary for critical
applications. Therefore a  battery provides the necessary power to startup as well as
standby depending on the type of application. Some of the applications of the
batteries include automobiles, railways, airlines, defense, telecommunication, power
stations, industries, and so on. The battery manufacturing process of each company
has its own special technical patented and secret processes, which are not bound to
be revealed to  masses.

Introduction to Lead-Acid Batteries

Therefore, this article is intended to give a brief idea of lead acid battery manufacturing process.
A lead-acid battery is commonly used in automobile applications and UPS systems. These
batteries provide sufficient energy to start engines, and are maintenance free, and durable. 
Mainly 98 percent of these batteries are recyclable, and therefore, they minimize environmental
impact while being disposed off. 
 Battery Inner Structure

The lead battery is manufactured by using lead alloy ingots and lead oxide It
comprises two chemically dissimilar leads based plates immersed in  sulphuric acid
solution. The positive plate is made up of lead dioxide PbO2 and the negative plate
with pure lead. The nominal electric potential between these two plates is 2 volts
when these plates are immersed in dilute sulfuric acid. This potential is universal for
all lead acid batteries. Therefore, a 12 volt lead acid battery is made up of six cells
that are connected in series are enclosed in a durable plastic casing, as shown in the
figure.

The capacity of the battery depends on the amount of lead dioxide on the positive
plate; sulfuric acid present in the battery; and, the amount of spongy lead on the
negative plate. During discharging process, the suphate ions in the electrolyte
interact with the positive and negative plates and form lead sulfate on them. This
result in the reduction of specific gravity of the electrolyte in proportion to the charge
delivered to the load.

During the charging process, the cycle is reversed, that is, lead sulphate and water
are converted to lead, lead oxide and electrolyte of sulphuric acid by an external
charging source. This process is reversible, which means lead acid battery can be
discharged or recharged  many times. The chemical formulas of charging and
discharging process of the lead acid batteries is given above.
 Main Parts of the Battery

The main parts of the battery are plates, i.e., anode and cathode plates, separators,
electrolyte or sulphuric acid, case, cell connectors and terminals, as shown in the
above figure.

Manufacturing Steps of Lead-Acid Batteries

Batteries are manufactured using careful maintenance of equipments in an

automated controlled environment. The Manufacturing processes can be divided
into several stages like Oxide and grid production process, pasting and curing,
assembly process, formation, filling, charge-discharge process, final assembly,
inspection and dispatch. These manufacturing steps are briefly explained below.
 Battery Manufacturing Process

1. Oxide and Grid Production Process

Lead Oxide Production

Lead oxide is obtained by masses of lead from melting furnaces either by

Milling or Barton Pot process methods. In the milling process, the tumbling
action generated by the rotating mill on solid lead generates heat and then the
surface of the lead gets oxidized. The surface layers of the oxide are removed
while the lead particles roll in the drum. In Barton Pot process a fine stream of
 lead droplets is produced by blowing air on molten lead. These droplets are
reacted with oxygen and produce lead oxide.

 Casting and stamping methods are generally used for making battery grids. In
casting method, the lead alloy slabs are melted in melting pot and this molted
lead is poured into the patterns of battery grids whereas stamping operation
produces on battery grids based on stamping on lead sheets. When these
grids are cooled after casting operation, these are passed to trimming
machine where rough edges and casting gates are trimmed.

Grid Casting Process

2. Pasting and Curing

Battery Plates After Pasting and Curing

Manufacturers consider the pasting material as a trade secret,and therefore

not reveal this to  public. However, this paste material in general is made with
oxide of lead, red lead, litharge, water and dilutes sulphuric acid. These pastes
are used to fill the grids, i.e., positive and negative grids; but, for both, the
 pastes are not exactly filled with the same material, some expander materials
are added for making negative paste.

 The paste is then forced or pressed on the interstices of the grids by a

machine or by hand, and then these are turned as plates. These pasted plates
are cured in ovens under certain conditions of temperature near 32 degree
centigrade for about 48 hours, with humidity nearing about 90 percent and are
finally allowed to dry condition at ambient temperatures.

3. Assembling the Elements

 In this process, all the parts are assembled into a battery case and covered
with the plastic moulds  plastic molding plant. This step involves the
formation of positive and negative plate stacks, insertion of separators, inter-
cell connector and plate burning. In this step positive and negative plates are
formed like groups which are strapped to a suitable rack, slipped together and
a separator is inserted in-between them. This separator is made up of non-
conductive material such as paper, plastic or a glass fiber.

Battery Plates Stacking

 During the burning operation each positive and negative plate tab is welded to
lead to produce an element and these are then welded to respective positive
and negative posts on the battery’s case top. After keeping this element in the
jar or case, sealing compound is applied  to make the space leak proof
between the battery jar and cover.
 Assembling the Elements of Battery

4. Filling and Formation

 After the assembling, battery jar is filled with required amount of electrolyte
through a filling or vent tube. Then, it is ready for initial charging, which may
require several hours of charging depending on the battery size. Low charging
rate is generally employed that may be nearly one day to several days. This
charge formation may either be dry or wet. In  a dry-formation method,
batteries are shipped as dry after the positive and negative elements are fully
charged or formed and dried in tanks or as an individual plates and are
connected to positive and negative terminals of the battery.

Filling Battery with Electrolyte

 In a wet-formation method, a battery undergoes initial charging for several

hours after plates are immersed in an electrolyte battery case.  And,  in some
cases, this acid is dumped and fresh acid is added after forming it.

Formation Process

5. Charging and Discharging

 

Charging and Discharging Process

After the formation, batteries are subjected to high-rate discharge test for

short duration to rule out any defects before sending them out to the final
charge. After discharging and recharging  batteries for several times to attain
best working condition, these are inspected and tested with some measuring
instruments.

 Then finally these are recharged for certain backup hours and sent to the next
level where additional connections, labeling and caps are inserted to battery
with sealed-cotton packing. At last, these are dispatched to ordered places.

This is all about the lead-acid battery manufacturing process carried out in several

battery production industries. We hope that the given content might have been
helpful for the readers. Furthermore, for any information like electronic circuits for
charging batteries, battery capacity selection and battery safety methods you can
contact us by commenting below.

Photo Credits:

 Lead-Acid Battery by valve-regulatedleadacidbattery

 Battery Inner Structure by electrical-engineering-portal
 Main Parts of the Battery by daviddarling
 Battery Manufacturing Process by osha
 Lead Oxide Production by gbindustrialbattery
 Grid Casting Process by revanbattery
 Battery Plates After Pasting and Curing by upsite
 Battery Plates Stacking by bestbatteries
 Assembling the Elements of Battery by upsite
 Filling Battery with Electrolyte by tridentfilling
  Formation Process by cloudfront
 Charging and Discharging Process by bnet

A simple blood test can detect lead poisoning. A small blood sample is taken from a finger
prick or from a vein. Lead levels in the blood are measured in micrograms per deciliter
(mcg/dL). 

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