"Buckled" Battery Plates

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 35, 14 March 1930, Page 29

"Buckled" Battery Plates

N accumulator that has been allowed to sulphate to any extent is also extremely liable to a further disablement known as "buckling." Taken by itself, sulphating, if it has not gone too far, is usually amenable to a little persuasive treatment, but when this doubly complicated stage has set in the case becomes a rathey hopeless one, and it usually means that the positive plates at least-if not the entire cell itself-will have to be "scrapped." Short-circuits are set up, the paste falls out of the grids. Where buckling has set in to any appreciable degree it is advocated that the positive plates are at once replac-

ed by others, or else that the affected cell or cells be put out of service altogether. But where the sulphating is unaccompanied by buckling, or where the buckling is. only slight, matters may be somewhat remedied. The faulty cell should be charged at approximately half its normal rate. A sulphated cell placed on charge at normal rate almost inevitably buckles, so great care should be taken in this respect. Once on charge, the restoration of the cell to a healthy life is then very largely a mere matter of time. It is found that the electrolytic action of the charging current, which may be gradually increased as the treatment proceeds, slowly disintegrates the white, scaly deposits, until at length, after persistent application, it gradually disappears altogether. On no account should current he drawn from the cell during this time, nor is it wise to stop or interrupt the charging current, unless perhaps it is to empty out the old acid once or twice and fill up again with new of correct specific gravity.