CA1095228A

CA1095228A - Electrical terminal corrosion preventative and method for using same

Info

Publication number: CA1095228A
Application number: CA302,675A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Stanley F. Budnick
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1978-02-23
Filing date: 1978-05-05
Publication date: 1981-02-10
Also published as: US4192768A

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An electrical terminal corrosion preventative general-ly comprising a major proportion of a paste-like, heat resis-tant, lubricating grease having a dropping point of at least 250°F. and a water soluble inorganic acid neutralizing agent.
The electrical terminal corrosion preventative further includes water and an emulsifying agent capable, when combined with the water and the neutralizing agent, of facilitating substantially uniform dispersion of the combined water and neutralizing agent in the grease, the neutralizing agent being active to neutralize an acid when the neutralizing agent is dispersed in the grease.
A method is also disclosed for using the corrosion preventative for preventing corrosion to electrical terminals and the like.

Description

S~

"ELECTRICAL TERMINAL CORROSION PREVENTATIVE AND METHOD FOR
USING SAME"

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
._.
My inven~ion relates to corrosion preventatives, in particular battery corrosion preventatives. My invention fur-ther relates to a method for usin~ a battery corrosion preven-tative for preventing corrosion to battery terminals and the like.

Most automobile and truck batteries contain some form of acid. The acid, through charging, gives off fumes which con-dense on the battery surface. When the acid fumes condense on the terminals they begin to corrode in a relatively short time so as to make the connections to the battery less conductive and eventually not conductive. This problem causes a malfunction in the entire electrical system as well as reducing and some-times preventing recharging of the battery. The result to in-dustry is lost man-hours as well as monetary loss. Also, start-ing time in the winter is greatly affected due to battery cor-rosion.

I have tried a number of di~ferent types of lubrica-ting greases in combination with an acid neutralizing agent such as sodium bicarbonate to correct the problem of corrosion to the battery. One such composition that I tried was sodium bicar-bonate with vaseline or similar types of petroleum jelly. The ~ ~2~ 2~

main problem I found out by trying this composition was that in summer months it wculd melt from the heat of the sun and engine temperature which can be quite high in many instancesO
I also tried other forms of lubricating grease such as chassis gear grease in combination with the sodium bicarbonate. How-ever, I found that many of the greases that I tried, insulated or deactivated the sodium so that it would no longer function to neutralize the acid.

SU~MA~Y OF THE INVENTION
-I have invented a new and useful electrical terminal corrosion preventative which is heat resistant and which does not deactivate or insulate the acid neutralizing agent. One aspect of my elec~rical terminal corrosion preventative com-prises a major proportion of a paste-like, heat resistant lu-bricating grease which has a dropping point of at least 250F.
and a water soluble inorganic acid neutralizing agent. My cor-rosion preventative further includes water and an emulsifying agent capable when combined with the water and the neutralizing agent of facilitating substantlally uniform dispersion of the combined water and the neutralizing agent in the grease, the neutralizing agent being active to neutralize an acid when the neutralizing agent is dispersed in the grease.

Another aspect of my invention comprises a method com-prising the step of treating at least one of the terminals with an effective amount of a corroision preventative composition according to my invention.

-: , , ; : , :, :

~5;~

DETAI LED DESCRIPTI ON
In this specification and claims, the following definitions and/or abbreviations are used:
1. "API" is an abbreviation for American Petroleum Institute.

2. "SUS" is an abbreviation for Saybolt Universal Seconds.

3. "ASTM" is an abbreviation for American Society for Testing Materials.

4. "FFA" is an abbreviation for Free Fatty Acid.

5. The term "mineral oil" includes any liquid product of pe-troleum within the viscosity range of products commonly called oil.
60 The term 'Iwhite mineral oil" includes those mineral oils which are characterized as being colorless, transpartent, oily liquids that are almost tasteless, odorless, have a specific gravity of 0.828 - 0.880, are soluble in ether, chloroform, carbon disulfide, benzine, benzene, boiling alcohol, and fixed or volatile oils and are insoluble in water, cold alcohol and glycerine. They are derived from the distillation of high boiling (330-390C.) petroleum fractions.
7. The term "lubricating grease" includes mixtures of mineral oil or oils with one or more metallic soaps. The most com-mon soaps are those with sodium, calcium, barium, aluminum, lead, lithium, potassium and zinc.
8. The term "lithium grease" includes lubricating greases us-ing li-thium soaps of the higher fatty acids. One lithium . :., - .. :
, .. - . . .
.~

~S~

soap known to be utilized in lubricating greases is lithium sterate.
9. The term "oxidation inhibiter" includes those compounds which increase the corrosion resistance and heat resistant properties of lubricating greases. Oxidation inhibiters known in the art for use in lubricating greases include var-ious amines, phenols, compounds of the oxygen and sulphur groups, organic phosphites and dialkyl selenides or tellu-rides. ~ `
10. The term "napthenic coil" includes those petroleum oils con-taining a relatively large percentage of napthenes, i.e.
cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons having a five member or six mem-ber carbon ring.
11. The term "corrosion preventative" includes electrical term-inal corrosion preventatives, battery terminal corrosion preventatives and the like. The corrosion preventative can comprise, consist essentially of or consist of the ingre-dients hereinbefore and hereinafter set forth.

LUBRICATING GREASE
Lubricating greases useful in practicing my invention have a smooth or buttery texture/ i.e. paste~like. They are generally heat resistant or stable, i.e. do not dissolve, melt or break down at high temperatures and are usually corrosion re-sistant. In particular, lubricating greases useful in my inven-tion are substantially cohesive a-t -temperatures normally encoun-5~

tered under the hood of an automobile or other similar motor vehicle, such temperatures sometimes reaching 300F. These lubricating greases have a dropping point of at least 250Fo and pre~erably have a dropping point o~ at least 300F. to en-sure that the lubricating grease does not break down under en-~ine hood temperatures.

These lubricating greases normally include a metallic soap, i.e. a calcium or lithium soap, an oxidation inhibiter to provide the heat stability and a mineral oil such as white mineral oil to improve the viscosity of the grease. One such grease useful in practicing my invention is manufactured by Union Oil and is known as "UNION FM* GREASE". UNION ~'M grease includes an eEfective inhibiter plus basic oxide fillers to com-bat the effects of ~ruit, vegetable and salt solutions encounter-ed in food processing. UNION FM grease further includes an oxi-dation inhibiter to prevent deterioration of the grease at maxi-mum operating temperatures. UMION FM grease also includes a high quality calcium soap to contribute good shear stability and low separation~ To provide mobility at low ambient temperatures, UNION FM grease further includes a white mineral oil of rela-tively low viscosity.

The characteristics of UNION FM grease can be found in a publication entitled "Product Data Sheet" dated October 1970 and are as follows:
*Trade Maxk . .

. . . ,. .. ,. .

.; .:
:
. . . . ,, ~: . :

s~

-6-UNION FM G~EASE DATA TABLE
Grade 2 Penetration at 77F., ASTM worked 280 Dropping Point, ASTM, Fo 250 Color White Texture Buttery Calcium Soap r wt~ 8O0 Base Oil Data - Viscosity, SUS at 100F. 325 - Pour Point~ F. 5 Lubricating greases preferred for my invention are lithium greases which are generally lead free. Most lubricating greases contain lead which is undesirable for reasons soon to follow. One such lithium grease is manufactured by Mobil Oil Products and goes under the name of "MOBILUX*". MOBILUX is ~as-ically a lithium soap grease containing oxidation inhibiters in a mineral oil to control ViSCOSityn The characteristics of MOBILUX are as follows:

Product MOBII.UX 2 NLGI Grade 2 Soap Type Lithi~m , Grease Characterls-tics Penetration at 77F. worked 260-290 Struct. Smooth Color ASTM Brown Mineral Oil Viscosity - SUS at 100F.
- SUS at 210F. 57 Mineral Oil Drop Pt. ASTM F. 350 * Trade Mark '~

,.i . .. " . . . . ~
,, , :, - ~ :
: : , :, :
: : ~: ,:
, - ` ~ , ': " ~ ' Another such lithium grease is manufactured by Citgo and goes under the name "CITGO* PREMIUM LITHIUM GREASE". CITGO
premium lithium grease generally includes a lithium based grease, an additive treatment to impart high level inhibition against oxidation and corrosion and a high quality solvent re-fined base stock. The characteristics o~ three diEferent grades of CITGO premium lithium grease can be found in a publication entitled "Product Bulletin" put out by CITGO and dated Decem~er 1st, 1973 and are as follows:

SPECIFICAT NS:
CITGO PRFMIUM LITHIUM GREASE
Grade No- 1 No: 2 No: 3 NIGI Grade 1 2 3 Soap Lithium Lithium Lithium Texture Sm~oth Smooth Smooth Buttery Buttery Buttery Color Pmber Amber Amber Dropping Point, F. Min. 350 360 360 Penetration at 77F., ASTM D217 - unworked (1) -~20/-20 t2Q/-20 -t20/-20 - worked 60 strokes 315-335 270-290 225-245 - ~orked 10,000 strokes (2) ~20/-20 +20/-20 -~20/-20 ~ater, % Max. 0.2 0.2 0.2 l~ater Resistance, % Max.

FFA (as Oleic), % Max. 0.3 0.3 0.3 Free Alkali (as LiOH H20),% Max. 0.2 0.2 0.2 Storage Stability (3) Pass Pass Pass Wheel Bearing Test, ~STM
D1263 (7) Pass Pass Pass * Trade Mark ~j . , ,~. ~ .. .. ~ :, Corrosion (4) Pass Pass Pass Oxygen Bomb 200 Hrs., Lbs.
Drop Max. 10 10 10 Dirt Count (5) Pass Pass Pass Rust Preventive Properties, Mineral Oil -Viscosity, SUS at 100F.(6) 1068 1068 1068 -Viscosity, SUS at 210~F. 75-85 75-85 75-85 Notes: (1) The unworked penetration shall not differ from the worked 60 strokes penetration by more than the amount indicated.
(2) The penetration after working 10,000 strokes shall not change from the worked 60 strokes penetration by more than the amount indicated.
(3) The worked 60 strokes penetration shall not change more than 20 points during six months storage.
(4) Per Military Specification MIL-G-10924A.
(5) Federal Standard No: 791, Method 3005.1 - The grease shall not contain dirt or other foreign particles exceeding the following limits:
a) 7,500 per cu. cm. of 25 microns diameter or above.
b) 1,600 per cu. cm. of 75 microns diameter or above.
c) None of 125 microns of above~
(6) Approximate - for information only.
~7) Maximum leakage of 10 grams on No: 1 Grade, 5 grams on heavier grades.

-9- ~

My battery corrosion preventative includes a major portion of the lubricating grease, i.e. 50~ to 90~ by weight of the total battery corrosion preventative.

ACID NEUTRALIZING AGENT
Acid neutralizing agents useful in practicing my bat-tery corrosion preventative are water soluble and inorganic.
The neutrali~ing agent is used to neutralize -the battery acid which is usually sulphuric acid. The neutralizing agent is pre-ferably a buffering agent capable of neutralizing large amounts of battery acid. A preferred neutralizing agent is sodium bi-carbonate because o:E the economics involved and because of its superior ability to neutralize battery acid. However, any water soluble bicarbonate, i.e. potassium or lithium bicarbonate, can be used which has characteristics similar to sodium bicarbonate in neutralizing battery acid.

The amount of the neutralizing agent can range from six to fifteen or twenty percent by weight of the total of my battery corrosion preventative. It is preferred, in order to obtain best results, that the ratio of the neutralizing agent to the lithium grease be one part neutralizing agent to eight to ten parts lubricating grease.

WATER
My battery corrosion preventative can use broadly any , . , ~: . , : :~
, ~ ~.~ ,, . . . , .:

form of water, i.e. tap water~ However, I prefer to use dis~
tilled water because it ensures greater shelf life to my battery corrosion preventative.

EMULS IE'Y ING AGENT
Emulsifying agents useful in practicing my battery corrosion preventative are capable, when combined with the water and the neutralizing agent, of facilitating substantially uniform dispersion of the combined water and neutralizing agent in the lubricating grease. It is my belief that this dispersing effect is the reason why the neutralizing agent remains active when dispersed in the lubricating grease. Without the emulsi-fying agent and water combination, the neutralizing agent tends to deactivate after a certain period of time.

One such emulsifying agent preferred in practicing my invention is an emulsifying oil manufactured by Union Oil and is known as "UNION* SOLUBLE OIL". UNION solu~le oil is a com-posite oil that emulsifies easily with water and is used prim-arily as a coolant and lubricant in machining and grinding operations and as a rust preventative. UNION soluble oil in-cludes a napthenic oil compounded with selected emulsifying and coupling agents to emulsify instantly into a sta~le creamy white emulsion. The characteristlcs of three grades of this UNION
soluble oil can be found in a publication entitled "Product-Application Sheet" dated May 1970 and are as follows:
* Trade Mark . - -. : - - . .: ` : : . . . ,. ;

ffl~2~3 Grade 10 12 HD
Gravity API 20.6 16.3 16.1 Viscosity - SUS at 100Fo 244 295 238 Neutralization Number 1.2 1.2 0.7 Ash, Sulfated, wt% 1.6 1.9 2.8 Carbon Residue, Rams, wt% 2.5 3.1 4~5 Sulphur -~ _ 3.5 Copper Corrosion, 3 hours at 212F. la la 4c Ease of Emulsification Pass Pass Pass Emulsion Stability Pass Pass Pass The amount of the emulsifying agent used in my inven-tion generally relates to the emulsifying agent-water ratio.
The ratio of emulsifying agent to water can vary from 1:4 to 4:1 parts by weight. However, I prefer a 1:1 part by weight ratio for best dispersion characteristics of the emulsifying agent-water combination. The emulsifying agent-water combination can vary from 4% to ~% by weight o~ the total of my battery corro-sion preventative but is preferable about 6% by weight. The emulsifying agent and water are preferably mixed together prior to adding to the remainder of the ingredients of my battery corrosion preventative.

ANTI-FREEZE AGENT
When conditions require it, my battery corrosion pre-;: : ~ , ~,, ; , .

12 ~ ~ ~ S ~

an ventative can include an effective amount of/anti-freeze agent to prevent detrimental effects to its viscosity charac-teristics. Antl-freeze agents which can be used in practicing my invention include ethyl alcohol and ethylene glycol whether in pure form or as part of a typical anti-freeze composition.
Ethylene glycol is preferred as the anti-freeze agent because it is less o~ an explosion and fire hazard than ethyl alcohol.
The amount of anti-freeze agent whether in pure form or as part of a total anti-freeze composition can vary from 2~ to 3~ or 4%
by weight of my battery corrosion preventative.

SMELL AND ODOR MODIFYING SUBSTANCES
Because many of the lubricating greases useful in my invention are very messy and unpleasant smelling and are fre-quently handled by hand, I have found it frequently desirable to add a smell or odor modifying substance to my battery cor-rosion preventative. The preferred smell and odor modifying substance in practicing my invention is anise oil which usually has a smell suggestive of licorice. However, other smell and odor modifying substances known to the art can be used which have smel] and odor characteristics similar to anise oil.

When a smell or odor modifying substance is used in my bat-tery corrosion preventative, it is preferred that the lub-ricating grease be lead free to prevent someone, i.e. a small child, from being poisoned by a lead containing lubricating grease.

. , MISCELLANEOUS
When desirable, suitable colorants and pigments known to the art can be added to my battery corrosion preven-tative which do not affect its basic characteristicsO Like-wise, the color of the paint pigment and colorants can vary according to the taste of the user of my battery corrosion pre-ven-tative.

EXAMPLE
One particular formula according to my invention which I have found useful is as follows (percentages by total weight of the composition):

83.3~i lithium grease (lithium soap, oxidation inhibiter and mineral oil~
8.3% sodium bicarbonate 2.8~i distilled water 2.8% ethylene glycol based anti-freeze 2.79~i emulsifying oil (napthenic oil, emulsiEying agent and coupling agent) .01~i anise oil Battery corrosion preventatives according to my in-vention are usually compounded according to the following batch formula:

120 lbs. lithium grease (lithium soap, oxidation inhibiter and mineral oil) -l g- ~99S2~

12-15 lbs. sodium bicarbonate 2 qts. ethylene glycol based anti-freeze 2 qts. distilled water 2 qts. of emulsifying oil (napthenic oil, emulsifying agent and coupling agent) 2 oz. anise oil 5 oz. paint pigment When compounding the mixture according to this batch formula, the distilled water and the emulsifying oil are mixed together prior to addition to the remaining ingredients.

METHOD OF PREVENTING CORROSION TO A BATTE.RY
I have found that corrosion preventatives according to my invention are extremely useful in treating the terminals of the battery (and preferably the terminal connectors as well) when an effective amount of my battery corrosion preventative is applied. The preferred method for applying my battery cor-rosion preventative is by coating the affected surfaces with a battery corrosion preventative according to my invention such as by usiny one's own fingers or a brush.

Battery corrosion preventatives according to my in~
vention can be applied to the desi:red surfaces when the battery is new or after it has been used for awhile. When the battery is not new, it is preferable to perform a pre-corrosion clean-, . , -: .
y - . :.. ~ ... . , :. - ~:
, - , ~ :: , , -15- ~5~

ing treatment for maximum effectiveness of the battery cor-rosion preventative. This pre-cleaning is preferably perform-ed by applying by suitable means such as spraying, wiping, etc.
a corrosion cleaning solution to the terminals of the battery and preferably also to the terminal connectors. A corrosion cleaning solution which I have found most effective includes water, sodium bicarbonate, and a water penetration increasing agent in a small but effective amount. Preferably, the clean-ing solution is aqueous. A preferred me-thod according to my invention for preventing corrosion to the battery when using the pre-cleaning treatment is as follows. The terminal connec-tors are first removed. Then the terminals of the battery and the terminal connectors are cleaned such as by a wire brush, sandpaper, or other abrasive method. If the battery has been in use for some length of time, special care should he taken to clean the terminals and the terminal connectors thoroughly.
The corrosion cleaning solution is then sprayed liberally on the terminals of the battery and the terminal connectors if the battery is new or on the terminals, terminal connectors and top surface of an old battery. The cleaning solution is then allow~
ed to remain on the terminals, terminal connectors and the like for three to five minutes. Then the terminals, terminal con-nectors and the like are rinsed with a clear solution of water to remove the cleaning solution. Next, a battery corrosion pre-ventative according to my invention is coated on the battery terminals below the level where -the terminal connectors are -.- ~ : . , : : ; ,: .

.:
.:
::.,. , . :
; i, ~, -, . .: ::, :
,, ,,, ,, .: : ::

2~

attached thereto. The terminal connectors are then replaced and tightened securely to the terminals of the battery. The terminal connectors and any exposed surface of the terminals of the battery are completely coated. Preferably the battery corrosion preventative, according to my invention, is liberally and evenly spread to insure complete coverage. If desired, protective battery terminal covers made of a suitable material such as plastic and out of suitable colors, i.e. red on the positive terminal and green on the negative terminal, are in-stalled after treatment. Under normal condition, battery cor-rosion preventatives according to my invention will prevent terminal corrosion for the life of the battery. However, it is desirable that the terminal covers be periodically removed to check for any evidence of corrosion.

Since various modi~ications can be made in my inven-tion as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely dif ferent embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope~ it is intended thak all matter contained in the accompanying speci-fication shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting senseO

- ~ , ; , , ; ~

Claims

WHAT I CLAIM AS MY INVENTION:
(1) An electrical terminal corrosion preventative, comprising:
a major proportion of paste-like, heat resistant lubricating grease having a Dropping Point of at least 250 degrees Fahrenheit;
a water soluble inorganic acid neutralizing agent;
water;
an emulsifying agent capable when combined with said water and said neutralizing agent of facilitating substantially uniform dispersion of said combined water and neutralizing agent in said grease, said neutralizing agent being active to neutralize an acid when said neutralizing agent is dispersed in said grease.

(2) The corrosion preventative of Claim 1 wherein said grease has a Dropping Point of at least 300° Fahrenheit.

(3) The corrosion preventative of Claim 1 wherein said grease comprises a member from the group consisting of calcium and lithium soaps.

(4) The corrosion preventative of Claim 1 wherein said grease comprises a lithium grease having a Dropping Point of about 350° Fahrenheit.

(5) The corrosion preventative of Claim 1 wherein said neutralizing agent is in an amount of from 6% to 20% by weight of the corrosion preventative.

(6) The corrosion preventative of Claim 5 wherein said neutralizing agent comprises sodium bicarbonate.

(7) The corrosion preventative of Claim 5 wherein the ratio of said neutralizing agent to said grease is 1:10 to 1:8 parts by weight.

(8) The corrosion preventative of Claim 1 wherein said emulsifying agent and water combined is in an amount of from 4% to 8% by weight of the corrosion preventative.

(9) The corrosion preventative of Claim 8 wherein the ratio of said emulsifying agent to said water is from 1:4 to 4:1 parts by weight.

(10) The corrosion preventative of Claim 9 wherein said emulsifying agent to water ratio is 1:1 parts by weight.

(11) The corrosion preventative of Claim 8 wherein said combined amount of said emulsifying agent and water is 6% by weight of the corrosion preventative.

(12) The corrosion preventative of Claim 1 further comprising an antifreeze agent in an amount of from 2% to 4%
by the weight of the corrosion preventative.

(13) The corrosion preventative of Claim 12 wherein said antifreeze agent comprises a member from the group con-sisting of ethyl alcohol and ethylene glycol.

(14] A method for preventing corrosion to a battery comprising the step of:
treating at least one electrical terminal with an effective amount of the corrosion preventative of Claim 1.

(15) The method of Claim 14 wherein said treating step comprises completely coating the corrosion preventative on the exposed surface of the electrical terminal.

(16) The method of Claim 14 comprising the further step of cleaning the electrical terminal prior to said treat-ing step.

(17) The method of Claim 16 wherein said cleaning step comprises applying a cleaning solution to the electrical terminal.

(18) The method of Claim 17 wherein the cleaning solution comprises an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate.

(19) A method of preventing corrosion to an electri-cal terminal comprising the step of:
treating the electrical terminal with an effective amount of the corrosion preventative of Claims 4, 6 or 7.

(20) A method of preventing corrosion to an electri-cal terminal comprising the step of:
treating the electrical terminal with an effective amount of the corrosion preventative of Claim 10.

(21) A battery corrosion preventative, comprising:
83.3% by weight of a lithium lubricating grease, in-cluding a lithium soap, an oxidation inhibiter and a mineral oil;
8.3% by weight of sodium bicarbonate;
2.8% by weight of distilled water;
2.79% by weight of an emulsifying oil capable when combined with said water and said bicarbonate of facilitating substantially uniform dispersion of said combined water and bicarbonate in said grease, said emulsifying oil including a napthenic oil an emulsifying agent and a couping agent;
2.8% by weight of an ethylene glycol based antifreeze;
and 0.01% by weight of anise oil.

(22) A method for preventing corrosion to a battery, comprising the steps of:
spraying a liquid corrosion cleaning solution on the terminals of the battery and the terminal connectors, said cleaning solution including water, sodium bicarbonate and a water penetration increasing agent in an effective amount;
spreading the cleaning solution over the terminals and the terminal connectors;
allowing the cleaning solution to remain on the ter-minals and the terminal connectors for three to five minutes;
rinsing the terminals and the terminal connectors with a clear solution of water to remove the cleaning solution;
drying the terminals and the terminal connectors; and coating the terminals and the terminal connectors with the corrosion preventative of Claim 21.

(23) An electrical terminal corrosion preventative, comprising:
120 pounds of a lithium grease, said grease including a lithium soap, an oxidation inhibiter and a mineral oil;
12 to 15 pounds of sodium bicarbonate;
3 quarts of an ethylene glycol based antifreeze;
2 quarts of distilled water;
2 quarts of an emulsifying oil, said emulsifying oil including a naphthenic oil, an emulsifying agent and a coupling agent;

2 ounces of anise oil; and 5 ounces of paint pigment.