Investigation of the effects of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Pb-Sb alloy used in fabrication of anode spines for high-capacity lead-acid batteries

The as-cast Pb-Sb alloy typically exhibits a heterogeneous microstructure and significant residual stress, rendering it susceptible to structural failure under external mechanical loads. This study demonstrates that heat treatment effectively homogenizes the microstructure, eliminates residual stress, and enhances the alloy's suitability for subsequent processing stages in the fabrication of anode electrodes for high-capacity lead-acid batteries. Post-heat treatment, the Pb-Sb alloy achieves an average hardness of 13.4 HV, a tensile strength of 31.67 MPa, and an equiaxed grain structure with an average grain size of 0.0164 mm.