Document r6p3gw5kwb0xQ2prKYNnXqV90

w m p w wRiwr ' y pfiBwniw-nw LIA15878 `-TiaiM'if-iiii'niiMniiii -iii^i.unniii^.i LEAD INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION. INC. 9 NCW YOU** M. Y. lOOt? *T 8t*nir oin Omml Manager, General Part* Division Ford Motor Ccnpeny A# representative of th* Ford Motor Oosgmoy and aa nmkber of th* Association of American Battery Manufacturers, I have booo aaksd to ocHMnt oo tho outlook far tha laad-ocid bftttorr and th* battary industry's consumption of land. Because tbo automotive Industry, tho bottory Industry, and tho load Industry bar* sororal aroaa of common lntoroot, 1 at delighted to have an opportunity to Aar* with yon aoraral thoughts that Z have oo this subject. Z should Ilka to begin by tolling jw littls about tho Oeoeral Farts Division of tho Ford Motor Company so that you will know who wo ftrfl and what wo do. Tbo Csnaral Parts Division Is a manufacturirg division of tho Ford Motor f'r--il`*"y with tho Conoral Offlcos noar Tpailantl, Michigan. Tho Division has operating responsibility for six dooostle plants, ana plant In Ingland, and ono under oomstruction la Belfast, Ireland. Wo produce sea* 33 major products for Fbrd ears, trucks, and tractors, primarily for dooostle vehicles, tait also sons parts for th# Company's Canadian, Bogllsh, and Ceroan vehicle*. & tuber of products are also for noo-eutaaotive markets ouch aa aircraft ad narlno. Tbo Division's products range from starting notors, eltermtore, generators, and distributor* to transistorised ignition aysteno, fuel yvt*ns, plastics, powdered netalo, spark pings, and of course, lead-odd batteries. Zt la this product that 1* cost eloooly related to your industry, and Is one of tbo areas of eoasson Internet. taring 19^3, note than 82 Million vehicles wars on tha road, is you knew, each of these used ft battery. During 1963, tha automotive Industry produced slightly son thin 9 Million ears, truck*, and buao, and mo t s than 30 Million replacement batteries war* required for th* after market. Approximately 34 pounds of load is required In total for an average Ford vehicle. This includes, In addition to th* battery, our requirement* for solder flniehir^, and electrical connections and Ona hundred and flfty-alx thousand tooa (156,000) of lead were conneed by tha auto Industry In tha production of new oars, trucks, and bus** during 1963. Mhen you add to this tha lead required to produce the sore than 300 Million replacement batteries, th* total lead oonsusption related to th* automotive Industry 1* more than 450,000 tons, or about one-third of th* total amount of load oonsvsasd la tha last year. "Presented at th* 36th Anmtal Meeting lead Industries Association, Zee. St. Louis, Mo,, April 21-22, 1964 5 .*Hi jin>irri -tin 1 ilJJ -4 JX^^glSlgpWl^ * t^fanli imfrtlj-hf atr-*'* timZtUtm ' LI A158 79 > iikMi bw i w i mm *.h h > | |H *w.j vw& fri This 1* 4 pretty good nerket--ia feet, an excellent aarfcsi for th* lead Industry. I * ur* that this Is 4 markst that you will want to <iit<ii, With 40 million plu* 04T 7*4r In sight for 196k, th* 1 sadist* outlook Is good* Kit what sboat th* future? Wbst is th* outlook for lsad-add batteries ted th* load requirement* for bsttarlas la th* next dsoadsT la 1975, w* estimate that thsr* will b* 100 aUlloa ears, trucks and buss* la us* oe our highway*. W* bollsr* that by 197$ th* Industry'a annual production of automobiles, trucks, bus**, aad tractors will b* at th* rat* of about 11 all Ho b vehicle* p*r 7*ar. Tb* battery wpln--it aarkst will b* about 36 all lion battarie*. It would app**r, th*r*fors, that th* outlook for th* l*A-cld battaiy, sod consequently, la*d oocmmptioo, is With this background review, X would Ilk* to with you Wist X b*li*s* la llkaly to happen to th* l*d-*cld battery la thl* next d*cad*. X would Ilk* to out- lln* for you that I bailor* will b* th* coqpallli* factor* that will Infineon* th* oooMa^loe of l*ad for bettarla*. frigln* horsapomr has lacr*aad froa 117's 1950 to aa average of 233 la 196k. This la aa Increase of virtually lOCff. Iccxrpanying th* horsapowor Increase la aa iacrassa la angina cccpreaaion ratio* froa V to 1 la 1950 ta about 9.36 to 1 la 196k--an lncrsaa* of y&. k further inerr*** asy b* Indicated la th* next faw year*. Tahlda electrical system load* has* lncraaaad ub#tantlslly. lb* *l*otrlo*l load aa a typical ford ear, for xaap*s, was 170 watts la 1940 aad 400 watts la 1964, and will b* approximately 500 satt* la 1965. Th* larger engines and th* Increase la th* cca?rts*loa ratio has required aa incraaaa In ertrjelng power. Thl* 1* Deca*eery to provide eatlefactory starting under both cold and hot angina c mldng conditions. Until recently, th* electrical systens load dsand has been a*t by increasing both th* battery aad th* alactrloal generating eyetma capacity. Thar* la every reason to easts** that th* laereaaad elactrleal power trend will continue. I believe that it la not unrealistic to assuaa that wlthla tha next 10 year*, electrical system loads will b* increased to apprmriaataly 000 watts. that will happen to th* battery, and consequently, lead requirements over th* oast 10 year* with th* atny added accessories and oonvenlsnea* that are being developed each dayt X can a*wire you that It la not our plan to Iacrassa th* tit* and weight of tha battery to cast that* demand*. Th* alaetrlcal power requirement* Increase will h* mat primarily through improvement* In th* alaetrlcal generating system. o lb* u*a of alternator*, a* you know, ha* lncraaaad substantially th* syetam'* ability to provide electrical energy at low angina spaed*. Our design objective* are to provld* a generating system that will simply th* car1* alaetrlcal da aa long aa th* ngln 1* operating. wkpi'ipisi''iJs^pwpsfeii,0H- .-mmisjaiian uw. 'mu * W .H|` I^W * wg LIA15880 dMi rmWWirnTVi rrifitinnififrnniiM Om -> Ve vUl expect the bettery, therefore, to provide th* aoargy ter the alactxioal component* when th* angina 1* not operating, end to prorid* angina starting power. Xt 1* evident that th* buying public's went* irt moving toward multi-oar faaillae, and that thara la a substantial Incraaa* In tha popularity of tba ^orimtypa cars. Tha currant racaptioa of tha Mustang la an axaapla. This ear offers higher araraga horsepower engine* than th* aora cocTantiooal atylaa of eo^arabl* sir*. In tha larger elasaa* there la also a trend toward aora horsepower. Tha jxibiio want* thla, we bellere, not for raaaona of top speed, but bacaua* thla In creased horsepower effere an added margin of safety. It decraaaa* the tin* yea are exposed to danger when passing another ear or than entering an eupresmmy. Bacaua* of tha naad for added cranking power and beesnae we are dedicated to extending tha useful Ilf* of tha battery, I doubt Tery ouch that va will be ahla to sake any appreciable reduction in tha ala* of th* lead-add battery-- seen with greatly Ir^rovad generating aystee*. I believe, therefore, that tba outlook for th* lead-arid battery and tor lead oocsu^Jtlon by th* automotive Industry la very good. If this favorable market la to continue, however, th* battery manufacturers and th* lead industry must centime to laprove thoeffldsncy of the lead add battery. With respect to this, X should Ilka to review with you sons of tbs things that we are doing, and also to point out several arsaa in idilch you might profitably devote your reeeareh. Although Ford play* a dual role as battery producer and vehicle manufacturer, we can never forget that our principal business la to build care, trucks, and tractor* which will result in new and repeat sale* to satisfied o*sme. this daaand* a high level of quality and trouble-free total perfornano* of every nonponent. For a rusher of years. Ford has engaged In an Intensive program to develop couponeng* that hare a lorg Ufa expectancy, better parformanoa, and greater ft e elf from maintenance aervioe. As an expression of tha confidence w* place in our components, w* war* tba first American manufacturer to offer a 24,000 all*, 24 month warranty on a passenger car. This cc^rehenxlve warranty now on all Ford-built cars--includes tba battsry, and th* battery warranty la extendad an additional 12 months on a pro rate basis. TO provide batteries that will meet thla objective, positive plat* grids, fur ouipl*, thieh must operate la tba most adverse ocrroslve churl cal anvil'rcemrt, throughout their life, have bean mad* heavier. To increase the eorroelcn real at anas of th* positive plate grids, we have found it accessary to use a corrosion resistant lead alloy and to Increase tha croaa-aadlon of grid maah wire*. Thla has tbs disadvantage of Increasing the lead oontant In th* battery, and of oouroe, adding to th* battery weight and cost. Second only to oorroeion of positive plat* grid* la th* dwegirg effect of vibration which places th* relatively soft, yleldlig grid metal under atraaa and promote* oorroeion. Vibration causes damage to th* separators which separata pi etas of opposite polarity. Tha problem of vibration has in tha past been partially prevented by i.| th* element* In th* call oayartments. mrm iw w iiy .' III a .JJ, n u r w im W I1Wf W* hare developed unique oonrt ruction to eliadnat* these harmful affect* of vibration by embedding portion* of tb* plat* and separator bottom edges 1a thermo-- setting resin. This cecantatlon prevent* movement of plot** and separator* relative to th* eootalnar and cover, and assure* thr mechanical Integrity of tb* uirtly. Tbl* was positive tap forward baoauaa It 1* acre affactive than chlmelng, and bo* bean accocyllahad at a raducad coat. Aa an additional quality iqproveoar.t, a new type of plastic separator ha* bean developed by our supplier* which has Improved chadoal realstance and nlcro-pore else to Batch th* longer aerric* Ilf* of the plate*. W* would like to still further reduce th* pore eit* of th* separator. In son* instance* we have adopted a top cover bettery construction In Wileh th* Intercall oonnectiona are shortened to Increase th* voltage available at high rate* of electrical discharge at low te^eraturea and to reduce th* lead weight, Th* Intercall connectors are submerged below a one-piece oorer and permanently eneapsu^ *"' \ lated In acid-realsting thermosetting resin. We plan to adopt this dsslct across the board In 1965. Many batteries tuffar damage from negleot Wien otevere forget to replenish the water which 1* gradually lost through decomposition into hydrogen and oxygen by tb* charging current. This lose together with evaporation, Wiich occurs from exposure to radlsted heat under the hood, result* In the concentration of which Is detrimental to all th* cell component*. We have provided extra water epee* in many of our battery types Wiich results In an add of milder average strength through out th* battery's Ilf*. This contributes substantially to Ilf* expectancy and lia- creeeea th* service Interval. Wills this has provided a major liprovamarrt so far as owner satisfaction 1* concerned, ws will not be satisfied until wa have a battery available that will be service-free for its entire life. In fact, w* believe this to be to* of th* most important deficiencies In th* present battery design, and consequently, we believe It offers a Boat Important area for Improvement. These ere some of the things that we have been able to do In recent year* to Improve tb* over-ell efficiency of the lead-add battery. Tou will recall, boi.ever, that I mentioned that th* compression ratio of our engines wxild likely Increase and that Will* it la unlikely that w* will increase th* peak horsepower of our engines, it 1* entirely possible that tbs svsrtgs horse power of th* engines used on all cars will Increase over the next 10 years. We expect this lncreass to be as much as 30?. Vs will have to provide for aa increase In cranking potrar either by lrq>roved battery efficiency or starting aotor* or both. Because package sis* and weight must be held st a mlnlaui, our objective la to aoooaplleh thle with no added weight or else. (Xir objective also Is to build e battery with as little lead aa the demands for high performance and long Ilf* will permit. Despite th* fact that th* lead-ecid battery has been prominent for over 100 year*, there la much that oust be don* to laprove its efficiency, reduce its weight, * extend Its life, eliminate service, and not add to cost. Should this not be accomplished, we are increasing th* stake* end consequently the Incentive for your competitors to produce an entirely different type of battery or system that will not have those disadvantage*. mm****** I'siurntt. wrung mgppi i 'i Ii :i j . ii ijfjpHi iiwwiiiiJik 1^.11.1111wp^upp^pai LI415882 Tou know what the disadvantage* inherent in today'* battery art, but we need to oontlnually focus attention on then. W In tha battery Industry ara directing a good deal of research affert toward reducing or elniwlving tbair affects, Wa ara ooocerned with weight and also, as I har# Motioned. Ha ara also ooocernad that laad-aeld battarlaa hart a decreased high rata discharge capacity aft ub-sero taqperaturaa, and that they won't accept an efficient recharge at low teopanatiuwsj that they suffer a loss of charge after prolonged standing, especially at high temperatures; and that tha Internal oasponanta of wet battarlaa, such as positive grids and negative active material deteriorate after prolonged standing* Thla la tha only part of a ear that disintegrate# appreciably then not In use. Wa mat find a way to reduce the deterioration of theee internal ocapooanta tbetbar the cause is attributable to service conditions, deep cycling, overcharging, or owner neglect. Z eald that etarting larger, higher eoapreeelon enginee nay require higher battery capacity and Increased output, but it must be accomplished within reteonable package else and weight limitations. This may be achieved by Improving the grid alloys thick will permit lighter construction and yet provide greater corroeion resistance. The use of antimony In our lead alloys to lsprove cast-ability of tha grlda has seas undesirable effects la tanas of tbs local discharge action it produce# within the battery. One possibility to prevent theee losses 1s through the development of new alloys that have laproved strength end eastability without acccspaqyli^ performance or efficiency penalties. We do not expect e lead alloy Wtlch has the weight of sssgnesismt, tbs conductivity of silver or copper, and the corrosion resistance and stra^th of steel--this would be ideal. However, we are looking for Inprn vairt toward this Utopia. We at ford and other* in the automotive industry are not only devoting a greet deal of research and advanced product develofsact effort toward Improving the lead add battery, but I can eesure you that our research Is also concerned with Other methods of storing electrical energy. We are devoting a good deal of time to this beesuee we are oonvlncad that wo will never have eaglets customer satisfaction until wo have considerably iws the reliability of our present batteries, anlhavo eliminated the need for constant customer attention. In the long run, the customer will make the ultimata decision to oontlnas or discontinue using the lead-acid battery. Tour Industry can importantly Influence this decision, or indeed, you may make s customer decision unnecessary by accelerating the research you do toward laprorlng or eliminating mm of the dis advantages that Z have Just reviewed. If you do this, and are successful la offering us s means of offsettii^ tho weight, package else, and maintenance disadvantages by lsproving the over-all efficiency of the lead-acid battery, then I believe the outlook for the continuation of this substantial lead market to the automotive Industry is very good. - - i-i'^rMnifiyitfWi Certalaly, Z rwet agree that research directed toward developing new aarkste for load la lxg>ortant, but X sa aura that you also will agree with gj that it la important that you devote a alaaabla (hare of your raaaaroh dollar to protact thia ary eubetaatlal ahara of your aorket. A very fair of tha larger load producers hare boon doing a considerable aawt of work In this area. It say not be possible for soae of the sen11 er ocapanlee to Individually devote a great deal of tine and reaouroee to this. X would like to leave you with the thought that jeeraaaoclation nay wish te accept this challmge. Tou night ecooliar the adviaablUty of underwriting cut-- aide raeearch la team of thooo areas. I oertainly would like to see tore of our mlvarsitlee offering graduate work la oloctrocbmiatiy. We in Industry nuat apply this Incentive. X should Ilka to take this opportunity to express ay Cceg>any,i appreciation te thoee of you Wx> have la the past seen tha need for laprovenent. Tou have helped aake r care nore acceptable la the market place. Ve all still have a let yet to do to Improve the reliability and durehlllty of this very l^ortaat Cf.epmiant the battery. X'a oonfldent It will be done. M | f f f SWPffWMjWliygW^H HP8WWH -i ei-eyam<ap.j l auaai.M j w w u w iijwpw^^piup;' wg^||;>TJiqwww!|WJCUiklJWpad "W'p . ' -vdKdVS'