Automation benefits in the formation process of lead-acid batteries

In this work, the automated formation process of lead-acid battery and its industrial positive impact on the battery efficiency are evaluated toward the manual process. The problems in the lead-acid batteries formation are related to the α-PbO2 and β-PbO2 production during the first electric charge. The lead-acid battery formation problems frequently occur when electrical current sources with manual control are used. The main drawback of the manual method is addressed to the electric current interruptions between the plates during the battery charging. Thus, the lead oxides phases in the plates were used as parameter to correlate the chemical composition to the failure on the batteries formation process. X-ray powder diffraction technique was used to identify the lead phases. The results showed that the use of automated electric power supply has higher efficiency than the manual one. The benefits of automation include the increased productivity, reduction on the production costs, and lower consumption of natural resources

Corrosion protection of aluminium alloys by cerium-based and conducting polymer coatings

As ligas de alumínio vêm sendo amplamente usadas nas indústrias aeronáuticas e automobilísticas por suas propriedades mecânicas superiores às do metal puro. Entretanto, como as propriedades de corrosão dessas ligas variam, sendo piores do que as do alumínio puro, surge a necessidade de estudos de diferentes métodos de proteção contra a corrosão. O uso de coberturas protetoras é uma alternativa para diminuir os processos corrosivos e, desta maneira, aumentar a vida útil desses materiais. Das coberturas de conversão existentes, as mais usadas ainda são à base de cromo, porém o cromo tem se mostrado danoso ao meio ambiente e à saúde humana. Por outro lado, as coberturas de conversão à base de óxidos de cério, ambientalmente mais corretas e menos nocivas, já têm sido usadas com sucesso para este propósito. Ademais, partindo do consenso sobre o bom desempenho da polianilina (PAni) em proteger metais oxidáveis contra a corrosão, inclusive o alumínio e suas ligas, o presente estudo propõe o desenvolvimento de proteção anticorrosiva de ligas de alumínio pela combinação de camadas de conversão à base de óxidos de cério associada com camadas de PAni nas ligas de alumínio das séries AA1xxx e AA6xxx. A combinação de camadas duplex surge como uma alternativa promissora por: (i) possibilitar a formação de pontos de ancoragem sobre a superfície, promovidos pelas camadas de conversão à base de óxidos de cério, para a posterior deposição de PAni; (ii) ampliar o uso das camadas de conversão à base de óxidos de cério isoladamente ou combinadas com PAni e (iii) promover o melhor sinergismo na proteção contra a corrosão das ligas de alumínio e de outros materiais pela associação e maior interação desses sistemas.Aluminium alloys have been widely used in automobile and aircraft industries for their superior mechanical properties to the pure metal. However, as the corrosion properties of these alloys vary, being worse than those of pure aluminium, there is a need for studies of different methods of corrosion protection. The use of protective coverings appears as an alternative to reduce the corrosion process and thereby increase the useful life of these materials. Conversion of existing coverage, the most used are still based on chrome, but chrome has proven harmful to the environment and human health. Furthermore, coverage of cerium-based conversion, more environmentally friendly and healthy, have already been successfully used for this purpose. Furthermore, based on the consensus on the proper performance of polyaniline (PAni) to protect oxidizable metals against corrosion, including aluminium and its alloys, this study proposes the development of corrosion protection of aluminium alloys by combining layers of cerium conversion associated with layers of polyaniline on aluminium alloys AA1xxx and AA6xxx series. The combination of double layers arises as a promising alternative, which may: (i) facilitating formation of anchor points on the surface, driven by layers of cerium conversion, for the subsequent deposition of PAni (ii) expand the use of cerium conversion coatings alone or combined with PAni and (iii) promote synergy in protection against corrosion of aluminium alloys and other materials by the association and greater interaction of these systems

Automation benefits in the formation process of lead-acid batteries

In this work, the automated formation process of lead-acid battery and its industrial positive impact on the battery efficiency are evaluated toward the manual process. The problems in the lead-acid batteries formation are related to the α-PbO2 and β-PbO2 production during the first electric charge. The lead-acid battery formation problems frequently occur when electrical current sources with manual control are used. The main drawback of the manual method is addressed to the electric current interruptions between the plates during the battery charging. Thus, the lead oxides phases in the plates were used as parameter to correlate the chemical composition to the failure on the batteries formation process. X-ray powder diffraction technique was used to identify the lead phases. The results showed that the use of automated electric power supply has higher efficiency than the manual one. The benefits of automation include the increased productivity, reduction on the production costs, and lower consumption of natural resources