Primary batteries

DR. G. W. VINAL´S article,¹ delivered to the AIEE in 1947, was a fine historical presentation, bringing the status of the dry-cell battery up to the beginning of the postwar era of World War II. Whereas it did, among other things, indicate that unusual impetus had been imparted to the dry-cell industry as a result of the war, it did not cover in too much detail the specific improvements that have been brought about by gains in recent technology. The purpose of this article is to discuss, in general, some of the highlights underlying this unusual interest in dry batteries and to discuss some of the important phases of work which are in progress at the present time. In the history of mankind there has been no more impetus placed on lightweight power supplies and batteries than has existed in World War II and the postwar era. This has been largely brought about by the unusual advance in electronics, both from the military and commercial points of view, and the realization that the trend in miniaturization in some types of electronic equipments has brought about the need for small, compact, high-efficiency power supplies to which the dry-cell battery is unusually well adapted, provided certain improvements can be incorporated.