Experimental study on the crushing behaviour of lithium-ion battery modules

Abstract

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery systems are used for electric vehicles (EV) in the automotive industry due to their lightweight and high energy density. The battery modules are composite structures with significant geometry and material non-linearity. Their behaviour under mechanical loading is important for EV performance and crashworthiness design. In this study, quasi-static (0.06 mm/s) and low speed (50 mm/s) crush tests were conducted on commercial vehicle Li-ion battery modules to study their response. Two steel impactors, namely, a 60° wedge and a hemispherical end punch were used to investigate the force-displacement-voltage responses of the modules. Based on the test data, the effect of loading and boundary conditions, i.e. crush velocity, the presence of a cover plate and shape of impactor on the overall response of the battery modules was analysed.