Chevrolet Light Duty Truck 1973, Service Manual

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E N G I N E E L E C T R IC A L 6 Y - 3
Fig. 4b—Battery Element (Simple)
Fig. 6b—Battery Element (Compound)
electrical system. Satisfactory operation of the
vehicle is impossible unless the battery performs
each of these functions.
The simplest unit of a lead-acid storage battery is made
up of two unlike materials, a positive plate and a
negative plate, kept apart by a porous separator. This
assembly is called an "ELEMENT" (Fig. 4b).
When this simple element is put in a container filled
with a sulphuric acid and water solution called
"electrolyte", a two-volt "cell" is formed. Electricity will
flow when the plates are connected to an electrical load
(Fig. 5b).
An element made by grouping several positive plates
together and several negative plates together with
separators between them also generates two-volts but can
produce more total electrical energy than a simple cell
(Fig.
6
b).
2 VOLT BATTERY CELL
Fig. 5b—Two Volt Battery Cell
When six cells are connected in series, a "battery" of
cells is formed which produces six times as much
electrical pressure as a simple cell, or a total of
12
volts
(Fig. 7b).
If the battery continuously supplies current, it becomes
run-down or discharged. This is where the generator gets
into the act. The generator restores the chemical energy
to the battery. This is done by sending current through
the battery in a direction opposite to that during
discharge. The generator current reverses the chemical
actions in the battery and restores it to a charged
condition.
LIGHT DUTY TRUCK SERVICE MANUAL