THE PODOLSK STARTER-BATTERY FACTORY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 14, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 31, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

CI 1~ 50X1
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT The l od.olsk Starter-Battery Factory,
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRED BY SOURCE
DATE OF INFORMATION
THIS 000UNINT CONTAINS TNIONMATION A11[CTIN4
TNI NATION AC D[1[N t[
OF THI UNITCO ITA TC I, WITHIN TN[ NIUNIN001 TI TLI 191 INCT10N1 79]
AND 794, OF TNt U.I. COOT, Al AMENDED, ITI T[ANIMII/ION ON IS'[
LATION 01 ITS CONTENT[ TO ON 11[1177 IT AN DXAU TtlOIIDNO 11N2 0" 11
^IOHIIITED NY LAW. THE IIPIODUCTION 01 THIN FORM 11 7IOX11ITtO.
NO OF PAGE
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
j50X1
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMAT ON
Since development of military and civil automobile manufacture called for starter
batteries which could not be obtained from abroad in sufficient quantities, e.
starter storage-cell factory was built in the town of Podolsk, 45 kilometers
northeast of Moscow, circa 1935 to satiet
thin
y
Head Althouhffiil
.g oca yearly
production in 1941 was set at 700 thousand units, actual, production never exceed-
ed 300J thousand functional, batteries due to shortage of raw materials and elec-
tric power supply, The factory was a single-story building, but a second floor
was added over a part of the main plant, to isolate and house the laboratories
and test rooms. Also, an additional lean-to was constructed for the
Substation, 'which housed the transformers and rectifiers. Transformers were
placed in special concrete chambers with cellars of concrete beneath; in case of
fire or explosion, the trancormers fell automatic
were then covered b y1arge cement slabs. slay into these cellars, which
There were four such,transformers; one
bank of three, one-phase units for feeding mercury rectifiers.,
current for. the needs of storage cell production, and one thre~?vieing nC
orner
for light and power. Electric power was obtained. from the Moscow government
station "Moges"; four mercury rectifiers, with minus six anodes
volts DC line, and, 500 amps were installed in this lean-to, with ?nnectin ca0
bles
to the substation passed through special channels under the floors of the fac-
tory to protect the substation from poisonous fumes,
2. Ventilation was a serious problem, as the sulfuric acid fumes penetrated the en-
tire factory, except for the laboratories, and caieed severe health hazards.
Actual lead poisoning cases in the factory itself were few, as the doctors readily
recognized the early symptoms of same and sent the afflicted person away. Hence,
there was a constant turnover of ss;ployees; the average span of a worker's
employ-
ment was five months. Milk, as an antidote, was ordered to be'given to the work-
ers, but as It wound up, only government officials, visiting the factory received
the milk. Ventilation was finally bettered by keeping Ll of the windows open
and having the workers wear heavier clothes.
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,.L,.
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SEC T /SECURITY IT FORMATION
As far as materials vexe concerned, very pure lead of good quality from the TJK
w used (99.996% Pb).,. as -well as Siberian. and Fergana-,-mined lead. Specif .ca-
tions for lead to be used in surface plates, Tudor plates and Plante types
were:
Pb
Fe
Zn
Cu:. .
Sb
Ag
not less than
ti tt n
99.98 %
0002%
0.001 %
0.001%
0.005 %
0.005 %
0.0005%
tlnfortunatelyy the better TJK and. Soviet leads generally went to the Len Iskra fac-
tory in Lenaigrad. For second-rate production of plates, government specifica-
tions allowed lead of "mark Cl, 0CT/BKC 8032, with specifications as follows.-
Pb
Ag
Bb & .Sf
Bi
Fe
Zn
not less than
r n st
99.93 %
0.0015 %
0.0095
0-05' 0.002 %
0.pQ1 %
6.0015 %
No ,attention , was paid 'to the quantity of Cu, '4 ioh was lees desirable than Zn.
'c thing was id about Mn, quantities of which in Sot*iet lead were so large that
e tad-by and floating batteries for 'electric stations as a rule became dark red
"on fully charged., due to permanganates formed in the electrolyte.
The Podolek factory often got lead of even poorer quality, but fearing to close
the factory because of crit~aism levied against . such inferior mate ?ials, kept,
going in the hope cpaditions would improve"in succeeding.shipments, The labors-
tory, . was overloaded with ei ieiimente. upon the *amelio- atio" of odiaiction, so
that ;often analyses of materials were not performed until after the materials.
tf#em olves' had been' used up.
(3b) waa mostly received. from abroad, although officially it 'vaA sum-nosed
Ve Qom!
Sb
tort leas than
99.00 q~6
Fe,
'
0.05
Cu
?
tt m
0003 %.
.
Pb
not more than
0.6o 96
As
0.05 , .
arida of Zn, Bi, CA,,,, Ag, Mn,, 9n together, not more than. 0,.03 %. Neither gold
nor Pt sou 1. be present i;n any paterial even as traces, Laboratory ter a 'shoved
thirst ane Of the' chief causes of early failure of storage cells was, A tie to 'elntimoxW.
Ate, 1+o or 54 cycles during which arstYmony appeared to be a very useful addition
to the grids of the'plates, it began to gather on the minus plates and cause a
serious self-discharge, which led to incessant over-charge of the positive
plates and its, destruction.
For this reason,, the Podolsk factory started a line of laboratory experiments to
determine the optimal minimum of, antimony. From 120 of antimony they came down to
7% and then to 2.9%, but then the good mechanical properties fell too much, and
potitoni.ng effect upon s4 .rage cells remained. Some additions of ant'i'mony, to Q.'4,%,#
gave better rei ults;. antimony vs a costly metal which had ''to be obtained from
abroad due to lack'of Soviet tin mines of any cone uence hence was abandoned,
but experiments with other alloys calcium alloy (0.1% 50X1
of calcium) with far better mechanice.1 and electrochemical effects. Orders were
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SECRET /SECURITY INr O NATION
S ven.to the Solikamsk Chemical Factory near the Urals. to prepare 0 lead rich with
calcium. This concentrated allay is added to `the lead for grid. ,..3nd losses of
calcium are minimized.
Active Masse
The Podolsk factory used lead oxides for pasting plates; although the Central.
Accumulator Laboratory (ZAL) made extensive tests in the interest of using lead
oxides which produced better cells, only 'by late 1939 Podolsk began intensify-
ing its experiments in introducing lead powder. Lead oxides were obtained from
the Jaroslav Chemical Factory; specifications for both oxides were the same.
Official Specifications
Usual Deliveries
5102
`-- ----------
0.025 'i
0.050
Ca
0.0400 %
000500
%
Fe
-----------------
0.0040 %
0.020
%
0.0010 %
traces
Cu
----------------
0.0010 %
0.010
%
Bi
----------------
0.0050 %
0.050
%
Ag
-----------------
0.0005 %
0.001
%
8b
----------------
0.0050 *
I
Au. / Pt
-------------
none
?
Ni, Co, Mn, Sn, Cd, As -
0.05 %
?
ror:some. reason, it was felt that. those elememis listed under question mark fii the
seCQ A, colim n were never 'present, or that their pi eaaez ce' was so unimportant as
to 0Iiminate analyses thereoae, Oxides were scarce, and frequently' materials were
sec?pted'w'i.thout laboratory-control.
Alloys of many metals were tested, and'Ca-Pb was found to be the most suitable.
The action- of oxide preparation vas : tested; the. sub jeaV of the more specialized
tests', were the connection'bet*en temperature of preparation, humility content,
.seem - g and real specific density and real specific density, size of paartio.1s
mM longevity of plates. It was found that only greenish or yellow lithrsrge gave
longevity to plates, that so-called "double burnt" lead oxide gave poorer results,
smd oxide with a small content of Fb metal (1.0 - 1.5%) gave a longer life, since
its 044itiot tor positive-plate paste made the plates stronger in handling and-
negative plates 'showed a longer life as indicated in the following table:
Type of Pb0
% of PB Metal
Grams '
Absorbing
Life
Inch
Time of
cycles
jWdening
In Mixer
PbOa first burning
1917%.
3g
3
-04
351
105
(green-yellow)
509 %,
5.5
2.64
-
113
Second ? burning
c ?edtCtah -bi'own)
0000,
36
14.1:7
1.55
14
145
50X1
M..'.
Waiter presented a serious problem,, for in the Podolsk area it was highly polluted,
aM "cOv34 not be used.. Preparation of large quantities of distilled water was
diffi llt due to a serious shortage of fuel. 'A project was undertaken to employ
the omens ctrical Water Pi ification system,; but was abandoned due to the
" ipability.to supply sufficient electrical powor to the factory. Rain and
;now water in Podolak was polluted by factory smoke from Moscow. According to
official standards i 'fie following- were the water requirements - for storage cell pro-
duction:
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SEC /SECTJRITY ,Ii+FOR ATION
Water for Electrolyte (OST/'VMS X55,)
Color ------------------- Colorless
Suspension ----------------- Traces
pt _-_--_--------- -------- none
Sb & As -------------- none
Fe - -- -_ -a__~__-_ 0. 0045%
Cu: ----- - ----.---- -- none
----------------- ----- none
N in any form 0.0008 %
Cl ---------- 0.001 %
Organic Substances 0.0001 %
Sometimes it was possible to obtain condensate from the nearby electrical sta-
tion, a turbine condensate which contained some lubricating oil which was not
harmful.. The factory laboratory prepared. its c,m distilled water for test ses
on a kerosene stove. Tests showed that, some impurities were not dangerous for
starter cells; Cl is evolved from the cell during its boiling., so that after
three to four charges, 0.01% of Cl added to the electrolyte disappeared come le.te-
ly. Damage to the cell was not as much as expected. Mn proved less harmful
than Fey for during the charge, Mn disappeared from the sphere of action, falling
to the bottom together with the shedding material as I ra,02.
10. 51 ,Acid:
Sulphuric acid was obtained from Soviet r:hemieel factories, and varied greatly
in qual4ty. Here are two examples of (a) acid by official standards and
acid that was used as a good one but which actually was not:
(a)
(b)
Sulphuric Acid. 5355
VrU1j
Specific density (15.50) -------- 1.835
* H2S04. -.------------- ------ 93.19
Color -,..-------------- -_- Colorless
Suspended Matter ----- none
Pt -------------- ,.-_--__ traces
As & Sb --------- ------------
mn --------------- ---------- to
Fe ------ ----- ------ 0.005 %
Cu ---- ----------------- 0.0025 %
Cl --------------------- ---- 0.001 %
Organic Substance ------------ none
Nitrates & Nitrites none
Beat Sample of Sulphuric Acid. Obtained:
Specific density -------------- 1.80 to 1084
32804 ----------------,--- 92 to 93.2
Color -- Often yellow or brown due to packing
straw.
Suspended Matter -------------- Frequent Traces
Pt _,-------- ,---------- --- Usually none
AS & Sb -------------- .- Asp traces; Sb, nohe.
Mn ------------------------ 0.0025 to 0.005 %
.Ce ------------------------------ 0.01 %
Cu -------- ---------------- -------- - 0.005 %
Cl --------------------------- 0.002 %
Organic Substances -.,---- Serious traces at times
Nitrates & Nitrites ----------------- Traces
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maa., and. in 19 1 plates of 3.5 mm th -ekaae ,s
Were triod,~ Which actually increased the ca
reported. The percent of stibiur mcti y to :12p cycles., but not 2007 cycles
and orders were given to use Ca alloys; however, World War interfered, and nae of
8b alloys was continued. >ti
13, The Leningrad. Metallurgic Factory built an autceatic machine for d-c
which broke dawn after a trial. ; run and was not used gri astiwe
cent. to storage where. they remained for a month in order that all stains might
disappear. Lead r1LUoy was prepared in large kettles- t
slot be -over ,50Qo cents ede and d ~alture of metal could
. ~` s furnaces were heated byc coal.
1? P_astng and Paste:
Paur I sag done both by hannd and, by machine; pasts by hand better re ts. Machines resembled Ge y arsd was slow, but nave
.
rman
-t
,
Yge machia~es,
factory traddemarke were
r l
riments showed that Cl, Nand As disc
b ful boiling of dells. The Len Iskra plant, due to war contracts, was far more care-
Grids:
Grids:
As the life of starter batteries was 80 to
increased in 1940 from 2 mm to 2 5 cycles, the thickness of plrafiea was
the negative, plates were, a>ated.-- -- -Luz' b_,%1-Gx,ng motors. No ill effec
horizontal threads were
cut away, which lightened the.
.P Plates and rl,ma
For the myr9st part the Podoisk plant copied.. US- typea of starter cells, with some
changes introduced later. Grids were cast. in hand forms; to
of grids to forms, the latter were smoked by acetylene-torch.flame.t Byi193
regimen is were underway to simplify grids.. part of th Y 939, ez-
-
a
i made as rol,lowes eP cad with Soviet . de paste,
W
For plus minus plate, Pb02 - 50%.aud Pb0
type mixer Of .360 1?tters capacity. - 50% WM placed in a Geraaan-
irst water equal to 2. After a good 15-minute mixing, the
5,,is added, mixed. energetic 444 then 42S,
17 % (d a 1.05) Is added and mixed for 15 minutes; then the second water
equal to 2.5 % is added and after five xai.nutes.of mix
care
fully added by &=,,U portions. until. the necess thickck is ness is
Obtained*
~'Y pasting thickness
s
~a ,For Minus palates, Pb0 - 100%.' and ,
the same manner as described in the _' 10% with
operStioon.der was used, in
15? After strong advise t i tuna to lead
began to reconstruct ts aperations.po erixaste*` rl of oxides, the Podolsk factory
able: Two tYP~ of mills for powder were avall.-
A German mill; two bronze ay1l.nders inside a steep one,
producing 20 to 30 kg per hoar
with a smaller one
per hour, working to c s and a larger one Producing 60 to 80
70 to 90, powder oxidation a 50 to 6o% of PbO.
(b A US mill; cylinders were longer,,
hollow ax:t.s, and with air and Pb balls fed'.
through the
cylinder. ready powder taken from the holes at the and of the outer
hundndd Oxidation n 60 to 70%.., working C 135, producing two to three
kg per hour.
Following were the characteristics of powders usea.t
(a) Granulometric consistency - no grains, am ,_% must puss through the sieve
300 mesh. eve
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-6-
16.
Volume weight - 39 gram./inch
Oxidation.degree - 50 to 75 %. Powders with the oxidation degree below
could be added to the paste of minus plates in quantity equal to 10%. Best
'_oxidation was 50 to 60%. "Burnt" powder could not be used in a pure state,
but could be used as a five to 10 % addition to the plus plates:
(d)
Seeming Specific Weight
1.60 ?- i.85
1.85. - 2.1!5
2.16
2.40'
Plate Capacity Plate Life,
Good Short
Good Long (80 to
100 cycles)
Then the newest. paste,. Nr5, was ordered for starter
.silting of:
(a)
(b)
(C)
Pb powder - 100 kgs.
H2S04.. - .(d = 1.40)...180 era
Expander - 35.4 kgs
Water (in 18 portions)' - 69.9 kgs
cells, negative plates, epn-
above was mixed for two hours and 20 minutes, at a temperature of 70?to 800
oentigrade Plate Hr 5 was especially intended for' negative starter plates; lead
pbwder for this paste' had to answer the following specifications:.
The
(a'
(b)
Oolor - greyish green
Ab?orption number - 13 to 16
(e)
'T oUgh a standard (Taylor's) sieve of three hundred mesh. at least 50% had
to :pass, and not more than 25% was ?allo%Md to remain on the one hundred mesh
(d'
Sulfation coefficient - 38 to 40
(0) 'quantity of PbO - 52 to 65%
(f) Volume by weight - 32 gram /inch
Negative plates made with this paste gave the following trouble; if they were not
properly died, due to the high water content, they then became covered with
bubbles which during further processing cracked., and the active mass started peel-
ing off,.
17. Powder paste for positive plates: to 500 kgs of well-mixed Pbpowder, 18 portions
of 2.5 kge of water were gradually added and agitated . Then 26.5 kgs of water
ws a added and mixed for one hour and.3b~ minutes, followed.;by the addition of 45.6
]cgs of ' 82804 (d . = 1-32).
18. a`X erg
following, was the-best expander formula useAS
10.5 kgs of water was placed in' a . mixer, and to-it added .162.5 kgs of
?04 (d -1.83). To this solution (its to C = 95 to 110 degrees centi-
grade)-were added 250 kgs of cotton waste, and mixed until the entire mass
became a brownish, glue-like liquid, with no threads apparent. Then 73.2
kgs of BaS04 were added and well mixed. The mixture was cooled to 35 degrees
centigrade, and 21.94 kgs of naphtha black added, an oil soot especially
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prepared by binning oil with insufficient air. The expander was then ready
for use, with a specific density of 1,5-
19. Starter cells without the expander had a life of 80 cycles; with expander, life
expectancy was 180 cycles. BaSO4 was an addition that made the expander cheaper;
it did not help greatly, and an excess caused swelling and cracking of negatives.
The best BaSOi. was that prepared by mixing Na2S04 and BaC12, which was expen-
sive, so that heavy Spath from the Bindugi mines was used. Specifications for
expander materials:
BaSOi - 99-44 %
Cl - Traces.
CaSOif - 0.73 %
Fe - 0.11 %
5102 - 2.02 %
Volatile Matter - 2.89 %
Heavy metals - none
Volume by weight - 24+.14 gram /inch (Scott)
Specifications for cotton waste:
(a) S102 - 0.6 %
(b~ "e203 - 1.15 %
(d) MgO - 0o4 %
(e), Ash - 2.0 %
Specifications for H2S04 for expander:
H2SO4 monohydrate - 92 to 93 %
Color colorless
Fe - less than 0.015 %
As and Pt = absent.
20. The Len Iakra plant in Leningrad used pure storage cell sulphuric acid, chemical
1y'prepared Ba804 and good cotton wadding for its expander, with good results.
,'When the Podolsk factory tried to replace naphtha black with filburgine (acetylene
moot) results were bad, with great swellings and washing off of active mass a.L-
ready formed on the plates. Prepared expander could be kept no more than 21+ hours:
it:was found,'for after that time the process of further carbonization of cellulose
as well as changes in Ba804 made it unfit for use.
21. Pasting:
Pasting was done by a pasting machine. On a rubber table, sheets of blotting
paper were spread to prevent paste sticking to the rubber. After the plates were
pasted, they were covered by sheets of blotting paper and pressed by a rubber
roller. In this way the pants was better pressed to the grid, and excess water
was pressed out, since plates were not dried after pasting. The process was done
in large tanks, for both positive and negative plate, tngether. The Len Iskra
factory at Leningrad did their processing in an ammonium electrolyte, end suggested
to the Podolsk factory the following formula as giving the buui. ?u?ul~e Xor
positive and negative plates in one tank:
(a) ( 1if)280if - 100 to 120 kgs
(b) 04. (d x 1.83) - 40 to 45 kgs.
(c) H2O - 1,000 kgs
(?) J-begin - 0.25 A/Dec
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J-end - 0.12 A/Dec
The best temperature for both plates was / 15 degrees centigrade;lower temper-
atures resulted in buckling of positive plates during the process.
22. The Podolsk factory, however, preferred its own formula changes as follows:
(a)
(b)
(c)
0
112504 - d = 1.150
taC = 15 degrees centigrade
J-begin - (for 70 hours) - 0b18 A/Dec
J-middle - 0.125 A/Dec (for 80 to 90 hours)
This reduction was to save the positive plates from damage by an extra charge.
The higher-the current density, the better the efficiency, but weaker the plates.
Cementation of plates before formation was found to be useless and even harmful
due to cracking of the negative plates when the concentration of acid in electro-
lyte was allowed to exceed 150 gram/liter.
23. Scaling:
Plates containing gases in the active mass (N 02) formed films of lead sulfate
on'the surface of plates that did not allow electrolyte to penetrate. Slaw dip-
ping of plates into the formation tanks proved a remedy against this. The Len
Iskra plant complained that they found strong scaling when the (NH4)2,50 , concen-
tration ran over 150 gram/liter. The presence of.,alkalies damaged plates. Posi-
tive plates suffered especially, and active mass was weaker and the shedding ef-
feqt stronger. Presence of NH4 ions acted in the same manner, which is the rea-
son the Podolsk factory did not use ammonia electrolyte. Nor could the factory
obtain a good formation effect with positive plates pasted with a pure lead powder.
Small additions of Pb304 were necessary, otherwise the formation lasted a long
time, and only 55% of positive plates were formed. Positive plates with pure Pb
powder made oxygen from the start, and even a long formation could result in no
more than 80% of lead sulfate passed into lead dioxide. Another reason the
Ppdolsk factory rejected the Len Iskra ammonia process was due to the necessity
of washing the plates, after formation, first in an acid of d ' 1.120 and then
twice in distilled water. After formation at Podolsk, plates were rinsed, us-
u lly' only once, and, placed in drying stands. Experiments were underway in 1941
to dry them in a flow of warm air of from 30 to 40 degrees centigrade.
2Z., Assemb :
Plates were brought into the assembly section, gathered into blocks, and sealed,
after which they were sent to automobile factories. These were at first sent un-
filled and uncharged, but later it was ordered that they be sent in a slightly
formed state, the formation to be completed at their destination.
25. Research at Podolski
Many valuable research problems were studied in the Podolsk laboratory, which were
never put into practice by 1941 due to government red tape. They worked out a
method of block formation which resulted in batteries with a life cycle of 120
to 150, which at that time was considered good in the USSR. Plates were grouped
in blocks, and formation done in a weak electrolyte of d 2 1.150. J begin = 0.45
A,/D2, and after 36 hours a J middle = 0.3 A/D2 for 40 hours. Then blocks were
replaced, sealed, filled with acid of d = 1.40 and charged with J = 0.46 A/D2.
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As there was a weaker acid-In the pores of plates and separators, concentration
of acid, fell to 1.280. The charge was made t ll the voltage of cells came tc''
25 volts. Such an initial treatment brought batteries to within 50% of their
official capacity, and increased with every nf.w charge. Town gas with air en-
riched by oxygen was used for soldering instead of hydrogen.:
26. Separators:
Wood separators were used exclusively at Podol.sk, although due to shortages of
lumber, it was ordered that a substitute be found. The Len Iskra plant beg
using glass separators that did not dissolve in sulphuric acid,in 1941,for mil-
itary batteries. Wooden separators have a positive side; they give into the
electrolyte small quantities of lignin which acts positively upon negative plates,
reducing the aging of the negative-active mass. Some of it, however, gets oxi-
dized near the positive plates, and damaging acetic acid is formed. Preparation
process was as follows:
(4 Wood separators were obtained from a nearby plywood factory.
(b~ From storerooms, they.were sent to the separator section and loaded in-
to perforated basket.- "sunk into tanks filled with five percent
solution of NaOH. This solution was kept at t?C - 40 to 50 degrees
centigrade by a barbateur. Separators were soaked for 40 hours.
(c) Then the alkali solution was poured away as quickly as possible and
replaced by fresh water, and all the while protected from the action
of fresh air as much as possible. Water -was heated and mixed with
steam; NaOH tars, soaps and all soluble matters washed away. After
being washed, separators pass through a Imp-controlled apparatus,
consisting of a long rubber belt with a hole in the middle, and defects
are rejected.
27. Separators are then put into neutralization tanks.with H2S04, d = 1.05. After
soaking for 24 hours, they are taken out, placed in cold water tanks, and sent
to the assembly room. They must be kept either in water or covered with wet cloth-
ing. This process is called tepid cleaning; It results in separators that have
the same life as batteries. Several ways were proposed.: Cold washing, where
minus 15 degrees centigrade of NaOH solution was used with 70 to 90 hours of soak-
ing. Separators have a small. Ohm resistance., they are sufficiently free of im-
purities and are mechanically strong, but the process takes much time and floor
space. The hot process, which takes eight hour: in a 100 degree centigrade
solution of NaOH, is a quick, economical process, but results in mechanically
weak, short lived separators. Oak was found unsuitable. Redwood was suitable
if the hot method, was used; with leafy wood, only the cold method was possible,
28. Jars:
The most used batteries in the USSR were 3-ST.855, 3-ST-u4, and. 3-ST-142, meaning
three cells, in one block, six volts, starter 85. 114 and. 142, the ampere hours
of each type. Sometimes these cells were marked 3-STP-85, etc; the addition of
the letter "P" meant that the block backs were made of plastic. These so-col'd
"plastics" had nothing to do with real plastics, such as vinyls, or polistirola,
but instead were mixtures of Trinidad asphalts, bitums from oil-cracking factories,
finely ground wood, cotton waste and asbestos. Various combinations of these
materials were used for plastics in starter batteries, which was a source of con-
stant trouble as they sooner or later developed leaks, sometimes within the first
month of use. Ebonite jars were good in this sense; they seldom leaked., and could
be glued as the leaks were on the outside only. One material in particular. known as
",fHatvegir', ^was used for block backs. This was a mixture of bakelite "A"
awbeato,, anc . pull,stlr?oj, b staall. quantities. Its specific weight was 1.1, re-
sistance to distention 70 to 175 kgs/caw 2, bending 1750 to 560 kgs/crag, crusbing
416 kgs/cm2, c = 0.03 to 1.31+.
SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/14 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120001-4
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/14 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120001-4
SECRE`T/SECURITY INFORMATION
29. Mastics for Covering Cells:
The last for ula used in 19+1 was.-
(at): Bitum of naphtha - 83%
(b3 Lubricating oil 1296
(c).. oil soot - 5%
Laboratory tests-at Podolsk shoved that a saixtiare of Trinidad asphalt, bees-
wax, naphtha soot and ofd rubber made a good cell covering; paraffin vas har. ul.
AU materials had to 'be dry, since water even in small quantities resulted in a
foaming of materials during its heating, resulting in fire from spilling over.
Mountain wax ('ozsx; erite) gave bad results daze to a high paraffin content.
SECRET /SECURITY INFORMATION
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/14 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000200120001-4