Swaged seal for fused salt batteries

摘要

This invention is directed toward a seal (25) for fused salt batteries (10) having a current conducting rod (19) partially within said battery and partially outside which includes a layer of compressible material (32) on the body of the current conducting rod leaving exposed the opposite ends thereof and a swaged metal sheath (33) covering and compressing the layer of material to approximately its maximum density. Optionally, a sealing glass (35) having a low coefficient of thermal expansion approximating that of the current conducting rod and the metal sheath can also be employed over the end of the rod and/or a plating (31) of a conductive metal can be provided over the end of the current conducting rod outside of the battery and/or a separate coating (28) of a different material can be deposited on the rod between the rod and the layer of compressible material. A process is also provided for forming the seal.