Continuous casting of lead alloy strip for heavy duty battery electrodes

1. A method of continuously casting a lead alloy strip on an abraded casting surface on substantially the upper half of a rotatable casting drum from a pool of molten lead alloy comprising:

supplying molten lead alloy to a tundish containing a pool of said molten lead alloy at a predetermined temperature and located adjacent a portion of said casting drum, said tundish having an open front in proximity to the abraded casting surface, wherein a graphite lip insert having a floor and opposed sidewalls is attached to the tundish open front, said graphite lip having an open front defined by the lip insert floor and opposed sidewalls cooperating with and commencing at a portion of the abraded casting surface to contain said molten lead alloy in the lip insert, wherein the molten lead alloy is continuously supplied to the pool from a bath of molten lead alloy maintained at a temperature in the range of 575° to 750° F.,

controlling the height of the surface level of the molten lead alloy in the lip insert to produce a strip of desired thickness,

controlling the temperature of the lead alloy in the lip insert at a temperature in the range of about 640° to 750° F.,

moving the abraded casting surface upwardly through the pool of molten lead alloy by rotating said drum for depositing the lead alloy thereon,

cooling the abraded casting surface of the drum to a temperature in the range of about 100° to 210° F. to solidify a strip of lead alloy on substantially the upper half of the rotatable casting drum, and

stripping the strip from the abraded casting surface.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the molten lead alloy is an antimony-lead alloy containing about 0.3 to 5.0 wt % antimony, up to about 2 wt % tin, up to about 0.03 wt % silver, and the balance essentially lead, maintaining the bath temperature in the range of 590° to 650° F., controlling the lip insert temperature in the range of 670° to 685° F., and cooling the abraded casting surface of the drum to a temperature in the range of about 175° to 210° F.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the molten lead alloy is a calcium-lead alloy containing about 0.03 wt % to 0.1 wt % calcium, the balance essentially lead, maintaining the bath temperature at about 750° F., controlling the lip insert temperature at about 750° F., and cooling the abraded casting surface of the drum to a temperature in the range of about 125° to 210° F.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the molten antimony-lead alloy contains about 3 to 5 wt % antimony, up to about 2 wt % tin, up to about 0.03 wt % silver, and the balance lead.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 , in which the molten bath is maintained at a temperature in the range of about 590° to 615° F., the temperature in the lip insert is controlled in the range of about 680° to 685° F., and cooling the abraded casting surface of the drum to 180° to 195° F.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 , in which the lead alloy strip is cast at a speed of greater than 38 feet per minute and up to 135 feet per minute.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 , in which the lead alloy strip is cast at a speed of greater than 38 feet per minute and up to 135 feet per minute.

8. A continuously cast fine-grained antimony-lead alloy thick strip as produced by the method of claim 5 having a width of greater than 5 inches and up to 20 inches and a thickness of up to 0.185 inch.