Life cycle testing of a sealed 42-Ah, 24-V nickel-cadmium aircraft battery

Extensive research has been conducted in the design and manufacture of very long life sealed maintenance free nickel-cadmium aircraft batteries. This study presents preliminary data on a 100% DOD life test performed on a nominal capacity 42 Ah battery. The purpose of this study is to validate design concepts, determine the life characteristics of the newly designed sealed Ni-Cd cells, and develop baseline information on failure rates and mechanisms. Failure mechanisms and their impacts on battery performance are examined. The data from this experiment can be used to compare depth of discharge versus battery life with similar tests such as the lower DOD experiments performed on aerospace batteries. This information is important in the ongoing development of long life batteries and in developing failure models for life prediction.<
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