Hawker Headlines

Spring 2021 Edition

Quick Tips!

Along with onsite Battery Maintenance and Recovery Training (BMRT) at military maintenance shops, Hawker^® representatives also exhibit at numerous military-specific events each year. Want to know where to find us next?
Track us here: <a href="https://hawkerbattery.com/events/"www.hawkerbattery.com/events/

Answer to question from last issue:

Should I tighten down my Hawker^® battery’s terminals with a wrench?
While it certainly looks like they can be tightened down with a wrench… the answer is a resounding “NO”! Here’s why: Under the polypropylene lid there are 12 lead cast-on straps (CoS). One strap is used to connect the negative plates and another to connect the positive plates within each cell. In the specific case of the negative and positive post locations, there’s also a copper bolt that’s snugly embedded within the CoS. Next, the terminals are torqued down onto the copper bolt in accordance with engineered specifications. Furthermore, the terminals are chemically welded to the bolt with resin. Therefore, if a terminal has movement, it’s mostly likely that the base of the copper bolt is no longer firmly seated within the lead CoS, as the fitting may have become stripped due to excessive rotational forces (e.g., extreme twisting of a tightly connected battery cable, unauthorized use of a wrench on the terminal, etc.). Note: If a terminal has rotational movement (tested by lightly attempting to rotate the post by hand), the battery should be removed from service.

Did you know?

that an amp (or Ampere) is a unit of measurement for electrical current? One amp is equivalent to the combined charge of 6.241 quintillion (that’s 6.241 billion billion) negatively-charged electrons passing through a single point in one second. For battery-powered systems (direct current), measurement is conducted with a DC ammeter or a multimeter with a DC ammeter setting. Yeah, saying 1 amp is a lot easier than 6,241,000,000,000,000,000 electrons per second!

Training:

Military units at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, as well as maintenance shops within the MO & ID ARNGs recently received free onsite BMRT. Next up are MCB Camp Pendleton, Fort Leonard Wood, MCAGCC Twentynine Palms, and the KS & MT ARNGs. Want yours? Contact your Hawker^® FSR.