Compositions and methods of battery box materials

Abstract

Provided herein is a vehicle component including a body composed of a reinforced composite material. The reinforced composite material may comprise a cured resin composition and a reinforcing material, wherein the body comprises a plurality of surfaces. The vehicle component may also include a plurality of structural support features composed of the cured resin composition, wherein the plurality of structural support features couple two or more surfaces of the plurality of surfaces of the body.

Description

COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS OF BATTERY BOX MATERIALSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.63 / 765,152, entitled “Battery Box Design,” filed February 28, 2025, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 864,863, entitled “Compositions and Methods of Battery Box Materials,” filed August 15, 2025, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.FIELD

[0002] This disclosure relates to techniques for producing a composition of matter that includes vehicle components. In particular, the techniques may include providing a resin composition, including cyclic olefin compositions, to a mold and curing the resin composition to form the vehicle components. The composition of matter and processes of this disclosure are especially useful for various applications, such as automotive and industrial applications.

[0003] Electric Vehicles (EV) are gaining in popularity, and their demand has been increasing steadily. As the production of EVs ramp up, efforts are increasingly directed at optimizing their design and performance. For example, vehicle components such as battery boxes, which are used to support and encapsulate EV energy storage systems, are undergoing rapid design optimization to meet increasing production, performance, and cost demands. Due to unique performance challenges like weight carrying capacity, noise, vibration, harshness (NVH) performance, thermal stability, etc., the battery boxes are designed to meet various critical design criteria. While most EV battery boxes are manufactured using materials such as aluminum, thermosets offer unique performance benefits and pave the way for lighter battery boxes. Ostensibly, composite battery boxes made with continuous fiber reinforcement and thermosets can meet and often exceed the performance requirements of a battery box and are increasingly being explored in the market.

[0004] However, most thermoset process ability prohibits wider adoption of thermosets in the EV battery box market. High-performance thermosets tend to be higher viscosity, thereby limiting the level of complexity of a battery box that may be achieved through a molding process (e.g., single-shot high-pressure resin transfer molding (HPRTM) process). Thus, obtaining materials with varying complexity using high viscosity thermosets may be associated with additional steps (e.g., secondary operations). Additionally, during a molding process, injecting high viscositythermosets may be associated with challenges. For example, high viscosity thermosets may not be able to penetrate fabric reinforcements and / or generate flaws in the form fabric distortion / displacement, which can lower mechanical performance. As such, there is presently a need for alternative thermosets that exhibit low viscosity and fast cure times such that they can flow to generate vehicle components with enhanced mechanical properties.SUMMARY

[0005] A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below.

[0006] As discussed above, there is presently a need for alternative thermosets that exhibit low viscosity to generate vehicle components with enhanced mechanical properties. For example, high viscosity (e.g., viscosities ranging from about 100 centiPoise (cP) to about 2000 cP) of thermosets such as vinyl esters (e.g., about 200 cP), epoxy (e.g.. about 1000 cP to about 2000 cP), or polyurethanes (e.g., about 100 cP to about 2000 cP), may impart processability limits when forming vehicle components. Accordingly, there is presently a need for low viscosity polymer resins that may exhibit suitable mechanical properties, complexity in design, and may be produced by minimizing and / or eliminating secondary operations.

[0007] With the foregoing in mind, the present disclosure relates to producing vehicle components using low viscosity resins. It is presently recognized that utilizing low viscosity resins / ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) compositions / cyclic olefin compositions (e.g., viscosities ranging from 1 cP to about 100 cP at room temperature (e.g., 25°C), such as about 5 cP to about 50 cP, about 10 cP, about 15 cP, about 20 cP, about 25 cP, about 30 cP, about 35 cP, about 40 cP, about 45 cP, about 50 cP, or preferably about 20 cP) such as cyclic olefin polymer compositions may facilitate the low viscosity resin to flow into a mold to generate a vehicle component. For example, cyclic olefin polymer compositions such as dicylcopentadiene (DCPD)-based cyclic olefin (e.g., polydicyclopentadiene (pDCPD)-based cyclic olefins) and / or tricyclopentadiene (TCPD)-based cyclic olefin compositions are low viscosity, high-performance thermoset systems e.g., exhibit a viscosity that is a magnitude lower than the high viscosity resins, such as about 20 cP). The present embodiments demonstrate that the low viscosity resins described herein advantageously facilitate the formation of vehicle components that include complex features. Moreover, the disclosed low viscosity resins exhibit fast cure times, whichenables faster cycle time and improves efficiency. For example, the low viscosity resins significantly reduce pressures that are otherwise required to fill a mold during a molding process, thereby reducing machine tonnage required and lowering capital costs. Accordingly, the low viscosity resins may be used to form vehicle components that may consist of a casing and structural support features. The casing may be composed of a reinforced composite material formed using a cured resin composition and a reinforcing material, and the structural support features may be composed of the cured resin composition. In certain embodiments, the vehicle component may be a battery box casing that includes structural support features such as ribs. In any case, the present embodiments demonstrate that the low viscosity resins described herein enables the production of vehicle components with complex features (e.g., structural support features) in a single-shot low pressure (LP) and / or HP-RTM processes, which enables consolidation of parts and elimination of secondary processes.

[0008] Finite element analysis on the battery box demonstrates that the presence of structural support features (e.g., ribs) stiffens the structure. For example, peak displacement in a 3G lateral load case indicates a displacement reduction of about 13.8% due to presence of ribs. Additionally, NVH characteristics of the battery box casing were evaluated using a modal analysis, which demonstrates that the natural frequency of the battery box casing increased by about 17% due to the presence of the ribs. Accordingly, the present embodiments are advantageous over processes that employ a multi-step fabrication process (e.g., two or more steps) where secondary operations may otherwise be needed to introduce complex features (e.g., addition of ribs to a battery box).

[0009] These and other features and attributes of the present disclosure and their advantageous applications and / or uses will be apparent from the detailed description which follows.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] To assist those of ordinary skill in the relevant art in making and using the subject matter hereof, reference is made to the appended drawings, wherein:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a process for generating a vehicle component, in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a top isometric view of an example of a vehicle component including a battery box casing with structural support features, in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 3A is a top view of the battery box casing with the structural support features, in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG. 3B is a bottom view of the battery box casing with the structural support features, in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 4 is a bottom isometric view of the battery box casing having a body that is reinforced with the structural support features, in accordance with the present disclosure; and

[0016] FIG. 5 is side view of the battery box casing having a body that is reinforced with the structural support features, in accordance with the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers’ specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

[0018] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. All numerical values within the detailed description herein are modified by “about” the indicated value, and take into account experimental error and variations that would be expected by a person having ordinary skill in the art. For example, “about” or “approximately” may refer to ±0.5%, ±1%, ±2, ±5%, ±10%, ±25%, ±50%, or ±100%.

[0019] As used herein, a "carbon number" refers to the number of carbon atoms in a hydrocarbon. Likewise, a "Cx" hydrocarbon is one having x carbon atoms (z.e., carbon number of x), and a "Cx - Cy" or "Cx - y" hydrocarbon is one having from x to y carbon atoms. Thus, a C1-C50 alkyl group refers to an alkyl group comprising carbon atoms at a total number thereof in the range from I to 50.

[0020] The term "alkyl" as used herein refers to a linear, branched, or cyclic saturated hydrocarbon group typically although not necessarily containing 1 to about 24 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl,isobutyl, ?-butyl, octyl, decyl, and the like, as well as cycloalkyl groups such as cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, and the like. Generally, although again not necessarily, alkyl groups herein contain 1 to about 12 carbon atoms. The term "lower alkyl" refers to an alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and the specific term "cycloalkyl" refers to a cyclic alkyl group, typically having 4 to 8, preferably 5 to 7, carbon atoms. The term "substituted alkyl" refers to alkyl substituted with one or more substituent groups, and the terms "heteroatom-containing alkyl" and "heteroalkyl" refer to alkyl in which at least one carbon atom is replaced with a heteroatom. If not otherwise indicated, the terms "alkyl" and "lower alkyl" include linear, branched, cyclic, unsubstituted, substituted, and / or heteroatom-containing alkyl and lower alkyl, respectively.

[0021] The term "acyl" refers to substituents having the formula -(CO)-alkyl, -(CO)-aryl, -(CO)- aralkyl, -(CO)-alkaryl, -(CO)-alkenyl, or -(CO)-alkynyl, and the term "acyloxy" refers to substituents having the formula -0(CO)-alkyl, -0(CO)-aryl, -0(CO)-aralkyl, -0(CO)-alkaryl, -(l(CO)-alkenyl, -0(CO)-alkynyl wherein "alkyl," "aryl," "aralkyl", alkaryl, alkenyl, and alkynyl are as defined above. The terms "cyclic" and "ring" refer to alicyclic or aromatic groups that may or may not be substituted and / or heteroatom containing, and that may be monocyclic, bicyclic, or polycyclic. The term "alicyclic" is used in the conventional sense to refer to an aliphatic cyclic moiety, as opposed to an aromatic cyclic moiety, and may be monocyclic, bicyclic, or polycyclic.

[0022] The term "hydrocarbyl" refers to univalent hydrocarbyl radicals containing 1 to about 30 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to about 24 carbon atoms, most preferably 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, including linear, branched, cyclic, saturated, and unsaturated species, such as alkyl groups, alkenyl groups, alkynyl groups, aryl groups, and the like. The term "lower hydrocarbyl" intends a hydrocarbyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and the term "hydrocarbylene" refers to a divalent hydrocarbyl moiety containing 1 to about 30 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to about 24 carbon atoms, most preferably 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, including linear, branched, cyclic, saturated, and unsaturated species. The term "lower hydrocarbylene" refers to a hydrocarbylene group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms. "Substituted hydrocarbyl" refers to hydrocarbyl substituted with one or more substituent groups, and the terms "heteroatomcontaining hydrocarbyl" and "heterohydrocarbyl" refer to hydrocarbyl in which at least one carbon atom is replaced with a heteroatom. Similarly, "substituted hydrocarbylene" refers to hydrocarbylene substituted with one or more substituent groups, and the terms "heteroatomcontaining hydrocarbylene" and "heterohydrocarbylene" refer to hydrocarbylene in which at least one carbon atom is replaced with a heteroatom. Unless otherwise indicated, the term "hydrocarbyl" and "hydrocarbylene" are to be interpreted as including substituted and / orheteroatom-containing hydrocarbyl and heteroatom- containing hydrocarbylene moieties, respectively.

[0023] The term "heteroatom-containing" as in a "heteroatom-containing hydrocarbyl group" refers to a hydrocarbon molecule or a hydrocarbyl molecular fragment in which one or more carbon atoms is replaced with an atom other than carbon, e.g., nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, phosphorus, or silicon, typically nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur. Similarly, the term "heteroalkyl" refers to an alkyl substituent that is heteroatom-containing, the term "heterocyclic" refers to a cyclic substituent that is heteroatom- containing, the terms "heteroaryl" and "heteroaromatic" respectively refer to "aryl" and "aromatic" substituents that are heteroatom-containing, and the like. It should be noted that a "heterocyclic" group or compound may or may not be aromatic, and further that "heterocycles" may be monocyclic, bicyclic, or polycyclic as described above with respect to the term "aryl." Examples of heteroalkyl groups include without limitation alkoxyaryl, alkylsulfanyl-substituted alkyl, N-alkylated amino alkyl, and the like. Examples of heteroaryl substituents include without limitation pyridyl, pyrrolidinyl, pyridinyl, quinolinyl, indolyl, pyrimidinyl, imidazolyl, 1 ,2,4-triazolyl, tetrazolyl, etc., and examples of heteroatom-containing alicyclic groups include without limitation pyrrolidino, morpholino, piperazine, piperidino, etc.

[0024] By "substituted" as in "substituted hydrocarbyl," "substituted alkyl," "substituted aryl," and the like, as alluded to in some of the aforementioned definitions, is meant that in the hydrocarbyl, alkyl, aryl, or other moiety, at least one hydrogen atom bound to a carbon (or other) atom is replaced with one or more non-hydrogen substituents. Examples of such substituents can be found in W02015 / 003147A1, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0025] The tern “adhesion promoter’’ or “adhesion promoter composition” as used herein, refers to an additive or a primer which promotes adhesion of coatings to the substrate of interest. An adhesion promoter usually has an affinity for the substrate and the applied coating.

[0026] The terms “catalyst” and “catalyst compound” and “catalyst composition” refer to a compound capable of initiating catalysis and / or of facilitating a chemical reaction with little or no poisoning / consumption. In the description herein, the catalyst may be described as a catalyst precursor, a pre-catalyst compound, or a transition metal compound, and these terms are used interchangeably. A catalyst compound may be used by itself to initiate catalysis or may be used in combination with an activator to initiate catalysis. When the catalyst compound is combined with an activator to initiate catalysis, the catalyst compound is often referred to as a pre-catalyst or catalyst precursor.

[0027] The terms "optional" or "optionally" means that the subsequently described circumstance may or may not occur, so that the description includes instances where the circumstance occurs and instances where it does not. For example, the phrase "optionally substituted" means that a non-hydrogen substituent may or may not be present on a given atom, and, thus, the description includes structures wherein a non-hydrogen substituent is present and structures wherein a non-hydrogen substituent is not present.

[0028] As referred to herein, “substantially free of’ or “substantially free from” refers to either the complete absence of a component or includes a minimal amount of the component, such as an impurity or unintended byproduct of another ingredient. For example, a composition that is “substantially free” of / from a component may refer to a composition that includes less than about 0.5%, 0.25%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01%, or even 0%, by weight of the composition, of the component.

[0029] The term “comprising” is considered synonymous with the term “including.” Likewise whenever a composition, an element or a group of elements is preceded with the transitional phrase “comprising,” it is understood that we also contemplate the same composition or group of elements with transitional phrases “consisting essentially of,” “consisting of,” “selected from the group of consisting of,” or “is” preceding the recitation of the composition, element, or elements and vice versa.

[0030] Reference is now made to the embodiments illustrated in FIG. 1 , wherein like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout.

[0031] With the foregoing in mind, FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a process 10 for generating a vehicle component. It should be noted that the example process 10 shown in FIG. 1 is not limiting, and the process 10 may include additional or fewer blocks than those illustrated. Further, the process 10 may include block that are performed in an alternative order to that illustrated. That is, certain blocks may be performed before, after, or concurrently to / with another respective step.

[0032] Referring to the process 10, at block 12, a reinforcing material 14 may be provided to a mold. The mold may be any suitable mold in accordance with one or more molding processes, which are described further below. For example, a reinforcing material 14 (e.g., substrate material) is intended to generally mean any material that the resin compositions described herein may be contacted with, applied to, or have the reinforcing material 14 incoiporated into the resin. The reinforcing material may be of any configuration, any weight, any size, any thickness, and / or any geometric shape. For example, the reinforcing material 14 may include materials such as filaments, fibers, rovings, mats, weaves, fabrics, knitted material, cloth or other known structures,glass fibers and fabrics, carbon fibers and fabrics, aramid fibers and fabrics, polyolefin or other polymer fibers or fabrics, metal such as steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, metal alloys, iron, nickel, titanium, and silver, wood, ceramics, or any combination thereof. Other suitable substrate materials include metallic density modulators, microparticulate density modulators, such as microspheres, glass microspheres, ceramic microspheres, microballoons, cenospheres, and macroparticulate density modulators, such as glass or ceramic beads. Additional examples of reinforcing materials 14 and / or substrate materials can be found in W02015 / 003147A1, WO2020 / 123946A1, WO2023 / 049857A8, and W02022 / 036044A1, which are incorporated herein by reference. For example, a vehicle component may be a ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) composite material that includes one or more reinforcing materials 14.In certain embodiments, the reinforcing material 14 is composed of materials including, but not limited to, glass, carbon fiber, natural (e.g., biocomposite materials, natural fibers, and the like), or a combination thereof.

[0033] In certain embodiments, the reinforcing material 14 loading may range from about 0.1% to about 80% by volume fraction of a vehicle component. For example, the reinforcing material may range from about 1% to about 80%, about 10% to 80%, about 10% to 75%, about 20% to about 70%, about 25% to about 65%, about 30% to about 60%, about 35% to about 55%, preferably about 40% to about 50%, such as about 20%, about 25%, about 30%, about 35%, about 40%, about 45%, about 50%, about 55%, about 60%, about 65%, or about 70% by volume fraction of a vehicle component.

[0034] Referring to the process 10, at block 14, a resin composition 18 and a catalyst system 24 may be provided into the mold. For example, the resin composition 18 and the catalyst system 24 may be introduced into the mold as a blend. For example, automatic mixing / injection units may take a stream including the resin composition 18 and a stream including the catalyst system 24, blend the streams in-situ, and subsequently inject the blended stream into the mold. In other embodiments, the resin composition 18 and the catalyst system 24 may be combined to form a ROMP composition (e.g., a composition including the resin composition 18 and the catalyst system 24), which may be subsequently provided into the mold. It should be known that any suitable technique may be utilized to provide the resin composition 18 and the catalyst system 24 (or the ROMP composition) to the mold, including but not limited to, pouring, injecting, etc. The resin composition 18 may include cyclic olefin compositions (e.g., DCPD resin, TCPD resin), as described in WO2015 / 003147A1, WO2020 / 123946A1. WO2023 / 049857A8, and W02022 / 036044A1, which are incorporated herein by reference. Resin compositions 18 that may be used with the present invention disclosed herein comprise one or more cyclic olefins. It shouldbe noted that the term “resin composition 18’’ may be used interchangeably with “cyclic olefin composition’’ and / or “ROMP composition’’.

[0035] In certain embodiments, the resin composition 18 (e.g., cyclic olefin composition, ROMP composition) may exhibit viscosities ranging from 1 cP to about 100 cP at room temperature (e.g., 25°C), such as about 1 cP to 90 cP, about 1 cP to about 80 cP, about 1 cP to about 70 cP, about 1 cP to about 60 cP, about 1 cP to about 50 cP, about IcP to about 40 cP, about 1 cP to about 30 cP, about 1 cP to about 20 cP, about 1 cP to about 10 cP, about 5 cP to about 50 cP about 10 cP, about 15 cP, about 20 cP, about 25 cP, about 30 cP, about 35 cP, about 40 cP, about 45 cP, about 50 cP, about 55 cP, about 60 cP, about 65 cP, about 70 cP, about 75 cP, about 80 cP, about 85 cP, about 90 cP, about 95 cP, about 100 cP, or preferably about 20 cP.

[0036] The resin compositions 18 (e.g., cyclic olefin compositions) of the present invention may comprise a plurality of cyclic olefins. A plurality of cyclic olefins may be used to prepare metathesis polymers from the olefinic compound. For example, two cyclic olefins selected from the cyclic olefins described hereinabove may be employed in order to form metathesis products that incorporate both cyclic olefins. Cyclic olefin compositions incorporating any combination of features (e.g., heteroatoms, substituents, multiple olefins, multiple rings) are suitable for the methods disclosed herein.

[0037] In general, any cyclic olefin composition (e.g., cyclic olefins) suitable for metathesis reactions disclosed herein may be used. Such cyclic olefins may be optionally substituted, optionally heteroatom-containing, mono-unsaturated, di-unsaturated, or poly-unsaturated with carbon numbers such as Cs to C24 hydrocarbons that may be mono-, di-, or poly-cyclic. The cyclic olefin may generally be any strained or unstrained cyclic olefin, provided the cyclic olefin is able to participate in a ROMP reaction either individually or as part of a cyclic olefin composition or as part of a resin composition. While certain unstrained cyclic olefins such as cyclohexene are generally understood to not undergo ROMP reactions by themselves, under appropriate circumstances, such unstrained cyclic olefins may nonetheless be ROMP active. For example, when present as a co-monomer in a ROMP composition, unstrained cyclic olefins may be ROMP active. Accordingly, as used herein and as would be appreciated by the skilled artisan, the term "unstrained cyclic olefin" is intended to refer to those unstrained cyclic olefins that may undergo a ROMP reaction under any conditions, or in any ROMP composition, provided the unstrained cyclic olefin is ROMP active.

[0038] It will be appreciated that the amount of ring strain varies for each cyclic olefin compound, and depends upon a number of factors including the size of the ring, the presence andidentity of substituents, and the presence of multiple rings. Ring strain is one factor in determining the reactivity of a molecule towards ring-opening olefin metathesis reactions. Highly strained cyclic olefins, such as certain bicyclic compounds, readily undergo ring opening reactions with olefin metathesis catalysts. Less strained cyclic olefins, such as certain unsubstituted hydrocarbon monocyclic olefins, are generally less reactive. In some cases, ring opening reactions of relatively unstrained (and therefore relatively unreactive) cyclic olefins may become possible when performed in the presence of the olefinic compounds disclosed herein.

[0039] Examples of cyclic olefins may include, but are not limited to, dicyclopentadiene (DCPD); tricyclopentadiene (TCPD); higher order oligomers of cyclopentadiene, such as cyclopentadiene tetramer, cyclopentadiene pentamer including structural isomers and / or stereoisomers; dicyclohexadiene; norbornene; 5-methyl-2-norbomene; 5-ethyl-2-norbomene; 5-isobutyl-2-norbomene; 5,6-dimethyl-2- norbomene: 5-phenylnorbornene; 5-benzylnorbomene; 5-acetylnorbomene; 5-methoxy carbonylnorbornene; 5-ethoxycarbonyl- 1-norbomene; 5-methyl-5-methoxy -carbonylnorbornene; 5-cyanonorbomene; 5,5,6-trimethyl-2-norbomene; cyclo-hexenylnorbornene; endo, exo-5,6-dimethoxynorbomene; endo, endo-5,6-dimethoxy norbornene; endo, exo-5-6-dimethoxycarbonylnorbornene; endo, endo-5,6-dimethoxycarbonylnorbornene; 2,3-dimethoxynorbomene; norbomadiene; tricycloundecene; tetracyclododecene; 8-methyltetracyclododecene; 8-ethyl-tetracyclododecene; 8-methoxycarbonyltetracyclododecene; 8-methyl-8-tetracyclo-dodecene; 8-cyanotetracyclododecene; pentacyclopentadecene; pentacyclohexadecene; higher order oligomers of cyclopentadiene such as cyclopentadiene tetramer, cyclopentadiene pentamer, and the like; and C2-C12 hydrocarbyl substituted norbornenes such as 5-butyl-2-norbornene; 5-hexyL 2 -norbornene; 5-octyl-2-norbomene; 5-decyl-2-norbomene; 5-dodecyl-2-norbomene; 5-vinyl-2-norbornene; 5-ethylidene-2-norbomene; 5-isopropenyl-2-norbomene; 5-propenyl-2-norbornene; and 5-butenyl-2- norbomene, etc., any and all of which are suitable for use in the present invention.

[0040] In certain embodiments, the catalyst system 24 that may be used with the disclosed embodiments may include metal carbene olefin metathesis catalysts, examples of which are describedin WO2015 / 003147A1, WO2020 / 123946A1, WO2023 / 049857A8, US9751975B2, and W02022 / 036044A1, which are incorporated herein by reference. The catalyst system 24 may include any metal carbene catalysts known in the art to perform ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) reactions. For example, the catalyst system 24 may include metal carbene olefin metathesis catalysts that are Group 8 transition metal complexes having the commonly called "First Generation Grubbs" catalysts, "Second Generation Grubbs" catalysts, "Grubbs-Hoveyda" catalysts, “Third generation Grubbs” catalysts, or any combinations thereof.In some embodiments, the catalyst system 24 may include a molybdenum-based catalyst, a tungsten-based catalyst, a ruthenium-based catalyst, or a combination thereof.

[0041] The catalyst system 24 may include at least one metal carbene olefin metathesis catalyst. In certain embodiments, the catalyst composition 24 may include two or more metal carbene olefin metathesis catalysts. In addition, any prior art metathesis catalyst (or two-component metathesis catalyst system) based on molybdenum, ruthenium, or tungsten may also be used. The catalyst system 24 may be present in an amount that ranges from a low of about 0.00001 mol%, 0.0001 mol%, or 0.0005 mol%, to a high of about 0.001 mol%, 0.0015 mol%, 0.0025 mol%, 0.005 mol%, 0.01 mol%, 0.02 mol%, 0.05 mol%, or 0.1 mol%. When expressed as the molar ratio of monomer to catalyst composition 24, the catalyst composition 24 (the "monomer to catalyst ratio"), loading will generally be present in an amount that ranges from a low of about 10,000,000: I, 1,000,000: 1, or 200,00: 1, to a high of about 100,000: 1 66,667: 1, 40,000: 1, 20,000: 1, 10,000: 1, 5,000: 1, or 1,000: 1.

[0042] In certain embodiments, an adhesion promoter and / or adhesion promoter composition may be provided to the resin composition 18. For example, the adhesion promoter and / or adhesion promoter composition may be co-fed into the mold alongside the catalyst system 24 and resin composition 18. In some embodiments, the resin composition 18 may include the adhesion promoter and / or adhesion promoter composition prior to its injection. In some embodiments, the resin composition 18 may include the adhesion promoter and / or adhesion promoter composition. Examples of suitable adhesion promoters may include, but are not limited to, isocyanates and their derivatives; phosphorous containing compounds such as phosphoric acids and phosphate ester containing compounds; sulfonic acid, sulfonate and sulfate containing compounds; carboxylic acid and carboxylate containing compounds; maleic-modified esters; organofunctional silanes; organometallic compounds such as zirconates, zircono aluminates and titanates; chlorinated olefins, etc. Additional examples of adhesion promoters and / or adhesion promoter compositions are described in WO2015 / 003147A1, WO2020 / 123946A1, WO2023 / 049857A8, and W02022 / 036044A1, which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0043] In certain embodiments, the resin composition 18 may be formulated with additional additives (e.g., reinforcing material 14). Examples of suitable additives include, but are not limited to, gel modifiers, hardness modulators, impact modifiers, elastomers, antioxidants, antiozonants, stabilizers, crosslinkers, fillers, binders, coupling agents, thixotropes, wetting agents, biocides, plasticizers, pigments, flame retardants, dyes, fibers and reinforcing materials, including sized reinforcements and substrates, such as those treated with finishes, coatings,coupling agents, film formers and / or lubricants. In other embodiments, the resin composition 18 may be optionally formulated with or without a crosslinker, for example, a crosslinker selected from dialkyl peroxides, diacyl peroxides, and peroxyacids. In certain embodiments, the resin composition 18 may be formulated with reinforcing materials 14 such as chopped glass or glass beads, chopped carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, or a combination thereof such that the resulting structural support features of a vehicle component may be reinforced. Furthermore, the amount of additives present in the resin compositions may vary depending on the particular type of additive used. The concentration of the additives in the resin compositions typically ranges from, for example, 0.001-85 percent by weight, particularly, from 0.1-75 percent by weight, or even more particularly, from 2-60 percent by weight. Additional examples of additives are described in WO2015 / 003147A1, WO2020 / 123946A1, WO2023 / 049857A8, and W02022 / 036044A1, which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0044] In certain applications, it would be advantages to add multiple types of reinforcing materials 14 (e.g., reinforcements) to achieve specific performance attributes. A combination of fabric reinforcements, chopped, and / or foam cores (e.g. nylon, PET, EPP, etc.) may be useful to achieve performance targets to specific areas of the part or parts as required. For example, a vehicle component 22 such as a battery box (e.g., battery box casing) may include a fabric reinforcement, a foam core bottom for impact and additional torsional stiffness, chopped fibers (e.g. glass, CF, natural, etc.) for additional stiffness, thermal, electrical, reduced coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE) properties, and unreinforced areas such as structural support features (e.g., ribs) made of the resin composition 18 (e.g., resin rich, neat). In this way, a combination of reinforcements would allow a part designer to optimize the performance cost balance of the vehicle component 22.

[0045] Referring to process 10, at block 20, the resin composition 18 is cured in the presence of the catalyst system 24 with the reinforcing material 14 to form a vehicle component 22 (e.g., composite material). For example, the catalyst system 24 may include an olefin metathesis catalyst which may act as a curing agent. It should be noted that while olefin metathesis catalysts may be utilized as a curing agent, alternative curing agents may also be utilized, including but not limited to free radical initiators, cationic initiators, etc.

[0046] Advantageously, the present embodiments enable the generation of vehicle components 22 (e.g., articles of manufacture) that may be utilized for various industries, including but not limited to the automotive industry. It should be noted that the term “vehicle component 22” and “articles of manufacture” may be used interchangeably. The vehicle component 22 may include,but not limited to, those formed by standard manufacturing techniques including casting, centrifugal casting, pultrusion, molding, rotational molding, open molding, reaction injection molding (RIM), RIM utilizing selective areas of fabric reinforcement, low-pressure resin transfer molding (RTM), high-pressure resin transfer molding, pouring, vacuum impregnation, vacuum infusion, surface coating, filament winding, wet compression molding, and other methods known to be useful for production of polymer articles and / or polymer composite articles.

[0047] Furthermore, the compositions and articles of manufacture of the invention are not limited to a single polymer-surface interface but include also multilayers and laminates containing multiple polymer-surface interfaces. The present embodiments may also be suitable for manufacture of articles by the infusion of the ROMP composition including the resin composition 18 and / or the catalyst system 24 into a porous material. Such porous materials include but are not limited to wood, cement, concrete, open-cell and reticulated foams and sponges, papers, cardboards, felts, ropes or braids of natural or synthetic fibers, and various sintered materials. Additionally, other manufacturing techniques include without limitation cell casting, dip casting, continuous casting, embedding, potting, encapsulation, film casting or solvent casting, gated casting, mold casting, slush casting, extrusion, mechanical foaming, chemical foaming, physical foaming, compression molding or matched die molding, spaying, spray up, vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM), Seeman's composite resin infusion molding process (SCRIMP), blow molding, in mold coating, in-mold painting or injection, vacuum forming, reinforced reaction injection molding (RRIM), structural reaction injection molding (SRIM), thermal expansion transfer molding (TERM), resin injection recirculation molding (RICM), controlled atmospheric pressure resin infusion (CAPRI), hand-layup. For manufacturing techniques requiring the use of a RIM or impingement style mixhead, including without limitation RIM, SRIM, and RRIM, articles of manufacture may be molded using a single mixhead or a plurality of mixheads as well as a plurality of material injection streams {e.g., two resin streams and one catalyst stream).

[0048] In certain embodiments, the vehicle component 22 may exhibit any configuration, weight, size, thickness, or geometric shape. Examples of vehicle components 22 may include without limitation one or more of fender, spoiler, truck bed, protective plate, longitudinal rail, pillar, battery enclosures {e.g., battery box, battery box casing), electrical and electronic enclosures and components, structural components {e.g., frames, monocoques, A, B, C, D pillars, Rocker panels, fire wall, modules such as front-end, door cores, rear package trays), instrument panels and components, seat frames, seat backs and seating components, air distribution systems {e.g., under the hood, cabin, trunks), drivetrain components e.g., internal combustion engine (ICE) drivetrain component, EV drivetrain components, hybrid drivetrain components), impactbeams, energy absorbing systems, suspension front and rear sub-frames, suspension components, floors (e.g., passenger compartment, rear, and front trunk), body panels (e.g., hood, rear hatch, trunk lid, roof, doors, fenders, quarter panels, pillar trim), wheels, etc.

[0049] In certain embodiments, the example vehicle components 22 described herein may be formed to include structural support features, including but not limited to, ribs, bosses, guests, or combinations thereof.

[0050] It should be noted that while present processes are directed to forming vehicle components 22, the techniques described herein may be utilized to generate composite materials that may be utilized in various industries. Examples of articles of manufacture include without limitation any molded or shaped article for use as an aerospace component, a marine component, an automotive component, a sporting goods component, an electrical component, and industrial component, medical component, dental component, or military component. In one embodiment an article may be a turbine component used on aircraft or general power generation. In one embodiment, turbine components may include without limitation one or more of an inlet, pylon, pylon fairing, an acoustic panel, a thrust reverser panel, a fan blade, a fan containment case, a bypass duct, an aerodynamic cowl, or an airfoil component. In one embodiment, an article may be a turbine blade component or may be a turbine blade. In one embodiment, an article may be a wind rotor blade, tower, spar cap, or nacelle for wind turbines. In one embodiment, an article may be an airframe component. Examples of aerospace components may include without limitation one or more of fuselage skin, wing, fairing, doors, access panel, aerodynamic control surface, or stiffener. In one embodiment an article may be an automotive component. Examples of industrial components may include without limitation one or more of risers platforms, impact protection structures for oil and gas; bridges, pipes, pressure vessels, power poles, coils, containers, tanks, liners, containment vessels, articles for application in corrosive environments (e.g., chlor-alkali, caustic, acidic, brine, etc.), centralizers (<?.g. oilfield centralizer), electrolytic cell covers, reinforcement structures for concrete architectures and roads, or radiators. Examples of electrical components may include without limitation one or more wound articles, such as coils or electric motors, or insulating devices. In one embodiment, an article may be an eddy-current shielding component of a magnetic resonance imaging system or shielding component for any electromagnetic radiation. In one embodiment, an article may be a military component including without limitation, ballistics resistant armor for personnel or vehicles, or ballistics resistant structures for protecting personnel or equipment. In one embodiment, an article may be a sporting goods component including without limitation an arrow shaft, a tennis racket frame, a hockey stick, compound bow limbs, or a golf club shaft. In one embodiment, an article may be an objectused in offshore applications, where the object is at least partially coated with the resin composition 18 of the invention, where the object includes but is not limited to pipes, pipelines, pipe fittings, hoses, hose fittings, tanks, containers, drums, manifolds, risers, field joints, configurations designated as Christmas trees (oil field Christmas tree, subsea Christmas tree), jumpers, spool pieces, configurations designated as pipeline end termination (PLET), configurations designated as pipeline end manifolds (PLEM), robotic parts, devices and vehicles used in sub-sea applications, configurations designated as subsea dog houses, and other sub-sea architectures and equipment.

[0051] FIG. 2 is a top isometric view of an example of a vehicle component 22 including a battery box casing 50 having a body 51 (e.g., main body portion, primary structural support feature) that is reinforced with structural support features 52. FIG. 3A is a top view of the battery box casing 50 having a body 51 that is reinforced with the structural support features 52. To facilitate discussion, FIGS. 2 and 3 A will be concurrently discussed below. The structural support features 52 (e.g., ribs or other secondary structural support features) act to reinforce body surfaces 54 (e.g., inner or outer panel surfaces, inner or outer wall surfaces). As described herein, the body surfaces 54 refers to one or more surfaces of the body 51 of the battery box casing 50. In some embodiments, the body 51 may be an enclosed body, such as a battery casing (e.g., battery box casing) or housing. In some embodiments, the body 51 may be a relatively open structure, such as panels of a vehicle fender. In the illustrated embodiment, the body surfaces 54 may include a first lateral surface 56, a second lateral surface 58, a third lateral surface 60, a fourth lateral surface 62, and a plane 64 (e.g., a floor) (shown in FIG. 3B below). In the illustrated diagram, the structural support features 52 include ribs that are coupled to the plane 64 and act to reinforce the battery box casing 50. For example, the ribs are coupled to a top surface 64a of the plane 64 and the bottom surface 64b of the plane 64 (as described in FIGS. 3A and 3B below). Utilizing the disclosed low viscosity resin composition 18 may facilitate forming the body 51 of a vehicle component 22 having the same shell (e.g., the body 51 without the structural support features 52) but with the addition of the structural support features 52 to improve the mechanical properties of the body 51.

[0052] In some embodiments, the battery box casing 50 may also include dividers 66 that form one or more walls of wells 68 (e.g., cavities) within the battery box casing 50. For example, the dividers 66 act to separate an individual EV battery within a respective well 68 from a second EV battery within a second respective well 68.

[0053] In certain embodiments, the battery box casing 50 includes reinforced and unreinforced sections. The reinforced sections are composed of the cured resin composition 18 and the reinforcing material 14, whereas the unreinforced sections are composed of cured neat resin composition 18. For example, the body surfaces 54 and the dividers 66 may be formed using a continuous fiber reinforcement (e.g., fabric reinforcement, quasi-isotropic continuous fiber reinforcement) composed of materials including, but not limited to, glass, carbon fiber, natural (e.g., biocomposite materials, plant-based fibers, and so on), or a combination thereof, as the reinforcing material 14. It should be noted that any lay-up configuration and / or the number of layers may be utilized for the reinforcing material 14, including but not limited to 0 / 90, ±45, quasi-isotropic, etc.

[0054] In certain embodiments, the structural support features 52 such as the ribs may be composed of cured neat resin composition 18. That is, the structural support features 52 may be formed without additives. However, it should be noted that the composition of the structural support features 52 may be modified via the addition of reinforcing material 14. For example, the resin composition 18 may be formulated with reinforcing materials 14 such as chopped glass or glass beads, chopped carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, or a combination thereof such that the resulting structural support features 52 of the battery box casing 50 may be reinforced. Additionally and / or alternatively, it should be noted that the structural support features 52 may be formed by draping the reinforcing material 14 (e.g., a continuous fiber reinforcement) over a mold including cavities such that the resulting battery box casing 50 includes ribs coupled to the top surface 64a and the bottom surface 64b of the plane (as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B).

[0055] The structural support features 52 may have dimensions that are less than or equal to the thickness of the battery box casing 50 or other vehicle components. In certain embodiments, the battery box casing 50 may exhibit a wall thickness ranging from about 1 mm to about 10 mm, such as about 2 mm to 9 mm, about 3 mm to 8 mm, such as about 1, about 2, about 3, about 4, about 5, about 6, about 7, about 8, about 9, or about 10 mm. In certain embodiments, the structural support features 52 (e.g., reinforced sections) may typically exhibit a thickness including, but not limited to, ranging from about 1 millimeters (mm) to about 20 mm, such as about 1 mm to 10 mm, about 1 mm to 8 mm, about 1 mm to 6 mm, preferably about 1 mm to 4 mm, such as about 1 , about 2, about 3, about 4, about 5, about 6, about 7, about 8, about 9, about 10, about 12, about 14, about 16, about 18, or about 20 mm.

[0056] In certain embodiments, the ratio of the battery box casing 50 to the structural support features 52 on a volume basis may range from 5:1 to 0.1:1, about 4:1 to about 0.5:1, about 3:1 toabout 0.75:1, about 2:1 to about 1:1, preferably about 3:1, such as about 5:1, about 4:1, about 3:1, about 2:1, about 1:1, about 0.75:1, about 0.5:1, about 0.25:1, or about 0.1:1.

[0057] With the preceding in mind, FIG. 3B is a bottom view of the battery box casing 50 having a body 51 that is reinforced with the structural support features 52. In the illustrated diagram, the battery box casing 50 includes an outer lip 70 and several outer well surfaces 72 that are coupled to the structural support features 52 that reside on the bottom surface 64b of the plane 64. FIG. 3B demonstrates that the structural support features 52 may be coupled to the top surface 64a (as shown in FIG. 3A) and / or the bottom surface 64b of the plane 64 to provide additional reinforcement to the battery box casing 50.

[0058] FIG. 4 is a bottom isometric view of the battery box 50 casing having a body 51 that is reinforced with the structural support features 52. The battery box casing 50 includes the outer lip 70 and several outer well surfaces 72 that are coupled to the structural support features 52 that reside on the bottom surface 64b of the plane 64. The illustrated diagram also shows the first lateral surface 56 and the second lateral surface 58. FIG. 5 is a side view (e.g., first lateral surface 56) of the battery box casing 50 having a body 51 that is reinforced with the structural support features 52. The illustrated diagram shows the outer lip 70 of the battery box casing 50 and the first lateral surface 56. The left and right sides can be the identical, and represented by FIG. 5.

[0059] Accordingly, FIGS. 2, 3 A, 3B, 4, and 5 illustrate examples of structural support features 52 e.g., ribs) that are part of the battery box casing 50. Although the above description relates to a battery box casing 50, it should be noted that the above discussion may apply to other vehicle components described herein. For example, the body 51 may be a fender, a spoiler, truck bed, protective plate, electronic enclosures, instrument panels and components, seat frames, impact beams, drivetrain components, body panels, energy absorbing beams, structural support components e.g., frames, monocoques), or a combination thereof. Further, although the above description relates to structural support features 52 that are ribs, the above discussion may also apply to other structural support features, such as bosses, gussets, bosses, or a combination thereof. Certain features in FIGS. 2, 3A, 3B, 4, and 5 may be optional, and the drawings may be amended for use in a design divisional application to use dashed lines which would form no part of a claimed design.

[0060] As described herein, the inclusion of the structural support features 52 is provided or enabled by the low viscosity of the resin composition 18. Put differently, higher viscosity resins would not be able to pass through the continuous fiber reinforcement and fill the rib cavity within a mold. Additionally, the resin flow would distort the continuous fiber reinforcement, which maycause internal defects like voids. However, the lower viscosity of the disclosed resin composition 18 enables a single-shot process such that the battery box casing 50 and the structural support features 52 may be formed in a single step at low pressure (e.g., low-pressure RTM) while completely filling the mold. This unique processing advantage simultaneously creates higher performance parts with reduced manufacturing overhead. Furthermore, the present embodiments demonstrate that the inclusion of the structural support features 52 advantageously improves the mechanical properties of the vehicle components 22, which is further discussed below.

[0061] In certain embodiments, the battery box casing 50 with structural support features 52 with ribs may exhibit a decrease in maximum total displacement (e.g., decreased deflection) under a vertical load case simulation including 280 pounds (lbs) (e.g., about 127 kilograms (kg)) of battery pack weight and a lateral acceleration of 3G ranging from about 0.90 mm to about 1.8 mm, such as about 0.92 mm to about 1.7mm, about 0.94 mm to about 1.6 mm, about 0.96 mm to about 1.5 mm, about 0.98 mm to about 1.4 mm, about 1.0 mm to about 1.2 mm, about 0.95 mm to about 0.98 mm, about 1.5 mm to about 1.7 mm, such as about 0.90, about 0.91, about 0.92, about 0.93, about 0.94, about 0.95, about 0.96, about 0.97, about 0.98, about 0.99, about 1.0, about 1.1, about 1.2, about 1.3, about 1.4, about 1.5, about 1.6, about 1.7, or about 1.8 mm. In certain embodiments, the battery box casing 50 with structural support features 52 with ribs may exhibit a decrease in maximum total displacement (e.g., decreased deflection) under a vertical load case simulation including 280 pounds (lbs) of battery pack weight and a lateral acceleration of 3G ranging from about 5% to about 25% relative to a baseline vehicle component without structural supports (e.g., ribs) (e.g., baseline case), such as about 7% to about 23%, about 9% to about 21%, about 11% to about 19%, about 8% to about 12%, about 20% to about 25%, such as about 5, about 7, about 9, about 11, about 13, about 15, about 17, about 19, about 21, about 23, or about 25%.

[0062] In certain embodiments, the battery box casing 50 with structural support features 52 with ribs may exhibit a maximum total displacement (e.g., decreased deflection) under a lateral load case simulation including 280 pounds (lbs) of battery pack weight and a lateral acceleration of 3G ranging from about 0.05 mm to about 0.25 mm, such as about 0.06 mm to about 0.24 mm, about 0.07 mm to about 0.23 mm, about 0.08 mm to about 0.22 mm, about 0.09 mm to about 0.21 mm, about 0.1 mm to about 0.20 mm, about 0.11 mm to about 0.19 mm, about 0.09 mm to about 0.13 mm, about 0.17 mm to about 0.21 mm, such as about 0.05, about 0.06, about 0.07, about 0.08, about 0.09, about 0.10, about 0.11, about 0.12, about 0.13, about 0.14, about 0.15, about 0.16, about 0.17, about 0.18, about 0.19, about 0.20, about 0.21, about 0.22, about 0.23, about 0.24, or about 0.25 mm. In certain embodiments, the battery box casing 50 with structural support features 52 with ribs may exhibit a decrease in maximum total displacement (e.g.,decreased deflection) under a lateral load case simulation including 280 pounds (lbs) of battery pack weight and a lateral acceleration of 3G ranging from about 10% to about 25% relative to a baseline vehicle component without structural supports (e.g., ribs) (e.g., baseline case), such as about 11% to about 23%, about 13% to about 21%, about 12% to about 16%, about 18% to about 22%, such as about 10, about 12, about 14, about 16, about 18, about 20, about 22, or about 24%.

[0063] In certain embodiments, the battery box casing 50 with structural support features 52 with ribs may exhibit a first mode frequency ranging from about 15 to about 25 Hertz (Hz), about 17 to about 23 Hz, about 19 to about 21 Hz, about 16 to about 20 Hz, about 20 to about 24 Hz, such as about 15, about 16, about 17, about 18, about 19, about 20, about 21, about 22, about 23, about 24, or about 25 Hz. In certain embodiments, the battery box casing 50 with structural support features 52 with ribs may exhibit an increase in first mode frequency ranging from about 10% to about 35% relative to a baseline vehicle component without structural supports (e.g., ribs) (e.g., baseline case), about 12% to about 33%, about 14% to about 31%, about 16% to about 28%, about 15% to about 19%, about 27% to about 31%, such as about 10, about 11, about 13, about 15, about 17, about 190, about 21, about 23, about 25, about 27, about 29, about 31, about 33, or about 35%.Examples

[0064] Properties of the vehicle component 22 (e.g., battery box casing 50 including structural support features 52 including ribs) were evaluated with varying compositions of the reinforcing material under various load case conditions, as shown in Table 1 and 2 below.Table 1 shows physical and compositional properties of the disclosed battery box casing 50 formed using different reinforcing materials 14.

[0065] Table 1 shows physical and compositional properties for two types of battery box casings 50 (e.g., laminates) formed using different reinforcing materials 14. “X”, “Y”, and “Z” indicate axes for an applied load. “Z” is the axis normal to a surface of the battery box casing 50, and “X” and “Y” are the perpendicular axes that ran along the surface. For example, Example 1 is an example of a battery box casing 50 reinforced using a carbon fiber quasi-isotropic fabric as the reinforcing material 14, and Example 2 is an example of a battery box casing 50 reinforced using a fiberglass quasi-isotropic fabric. The resin composition 18 used for both laminates is the PROXXIMA™ R3630 C32 resin (e.g., resin composition 18) of ExxonMobil. The battery box casing 50 for each of the laminates (e.g., laminate #1 , laminate#2) exhibited a thickness of 3.0 mm.Table 2 demonstrates various methods that were utilized to evaluate the properties of the disclosed battery box casing 50 with and without structural support features 52.

[0066] Properties of Example 1 and 2 were evaluated using finite element analysis and modal analysis with and without the structural support features 52 (e.g., ribs). Table 2 shows the various tests performed to conduct the finite element analysis and the modal analysis. For example,loading conditions evaluated represent a dynamic driving condition imparting a 3G vertical force (load case 1) (e.g., in the z-direction) and lateral force (load case 2) {e.g., in the x- and y-directions) from batteries to the battery box casing 50 with and without structural support features 52. The components evaluated in Table 2 include floor grids {e.g., structural support features 52 such as ribs). In particular, load case 1 and load case 2 were performed as part of the finite element analysis, whereas load case 3 was performed as part of the modal analysis, the results of which are demonstrated in Tables 3-6 below.Finite Element Analysis

[0067] The battery box casing 50 with and without the structural support features 52 were evaluated with loads equivalent to 3G of battery mass applied vertically and laterally. Finite element analysis was performed on Examples 1 and 2 in NASTRAN. For example, the homogenized material properties of R3630-C32 PROXXIMA resin {e.g., resin composition 18) reinforced with quasi-isotropic carbon fibers (as shown in Table 1) were selected for the simulation. The disclosed battery box casing 50 was created in a computer-aided design (CAD) software. The battery box casing 50 exhibited a thickness of 3 mm {e.g., reinforced sections) and the structural support features 52 e.g., unreinforced rib sections) exhibited a thickness of 3 mm. The ribs are assumed to be neat resin composition 18 without any reinforcing material 14. The fiber loading of the reinforcing material 14 {e.g., carbon fiber or fiberglass) was in typical range, including, but not limited to, about 45% to about 60% volume fraction.

[0068] A baseline battery box bottom design was also created in the CAD software, wherein the baseline battery box exhibited a thickness of 3 mm and did not include the disclosed structural support features 52. For example, the baseline model was analyzed as a battery box casing having a primary shell of a 3.0 mm thick fiber reinforced laminate with either carbon fiber or fiberglass as the reinforcing material 14 and PROXXIMA R3630 C32 as the resin composition 18.

[0069] Two simulations were performed to analyze the effect of ribs on the design. Vertical load case simulation (load case 1 of Table 2) was performed assuming 280 lbs of battery pack weight with vertical acceleration of 3G. The resulting force was distributed along the ribs on the top surface 64a of the plane 64 (as shown in FIG. 2 and 3A). The resulting displacement was plotted to compare the performance trends, which can be seen in Table 3 below.Table 3 shows maximum total displacement of a battery box casing under vertical load with and without structural support features.

[0070] Table 3 shows maximum total displacement (e.g., deflection) with and without structural support features 52 to a battery box casing 50 under a vertical load. Example 1 exhibited a maximum total displacement of about 1.082 mm without ribs (e.g.. baseline case), whereas the disclosed battery box casing 50 with the structural support features 52 exhibited a displacement of about 0.975 mm. The presence of the ribs decreased deflection by about 10% relative to the baseline case, thereby indicating that the presence of the structural support features 52 (e.g., ribs) increases structural performance of the battery box casing 50. In a generally similar manner, Example 2 exhibited a maximum total displacement of about 2.106 mm without ribs (e.g., baseline case), whereas the disclosed battery box casing 50 with the structural support features 52 exhibited a displacement of about 1.620 mm, which is about 23% decrease in deflection relative to the baseline case. Accordingly, these results demonstrate that the presence of the structural support features 52 such as the ribs coupled to the battery box casing 50 enhanced the structural stiffness of the battery box casing, as evidenced by the decrease in deflection under a vertical load.

[0071] Lateral load case simulation (load case 2 of Table 2) was run assuming 280 lbs of battery pack weight with lateral acceleration of 3G. The resulting force was distributed along the ribs on the top surface 64a of the plane 64 (as shown in FIG. 2 and 3A). The resulting displacement was plotted to compare the performance trends, which can be seen in Table 4 below.Table 4 shows maximum total displacement of a battery box 50 casing under lateral load with and without structural support features 52.

[0072] Table 4 shows maximum total displacement (e.g., deflection) with and without structural support features 52 to a battery box casing 50 under a lateral load. Example 1 exhibited a maximum total displacement of about 0.12899 mm without ribs (e.g., baseline case), whereas the disclosed battery box casing 50 with the structural support features 52 exhibited a displacement of about 0.11125 mm. The presence of the ribs decreased deflection by about 14% relative to the baseline case, thereby indicating that the presence of the structural support features 52 (e.g., ribs) increases structural performance of the battery box casing 50. In a generally similar manner, Example 2 exhibited a maximum total displacement of about 0.23950 mm without ribs (e.g., baseline case), whereas the disclosed battery box casing 50 with the structural support features 52 exhibited a displacement of about 0.19180 mm, which is about 20% decrease in deflection relative to the baseline case. Accordingly, these results demonstrate that the presence of the structural support features 52 such as the ribs coupled to the battery box casing 50 enhanced the structural stiffness of the battery box casing, as evidenced by the decrease in deflection under a lateral load.

[0073] Accordingly, Table 3 and 4 demonstrate that the presence of the structural support features 52, such as ribs, increased structural performance of the battery box casing 50. By leveraging the low viscosity of the resin composition 18, the techniques described herein can accommodate more complex designs to enable the formation of vehicle components 22 that may be formed in single-shot process (e.g., low pressure RTM, high pressure RTM) with high efficiency.Modal Analysis

[0074] In the automotive industry, NVH of various automotive parts is evaluated to identify and optimize automotive sounds in a vehicle to provide an improved driving experience. Often times, a battery box may exhibit poor NVH characteristics due to resonance of large flat panels inthe battery tray area. Modal analysis was performed to predict natural frequencies of the battery box casing 50 with and without the structural support features 52, which is shown in Tables 5 and 6 below.Table 5 shows natural frequency modes of a battery box casing 50 with and without structural support features 52.Table 6 shows first mode (e.g., first natural) frequency of a battery box casing 50 with and without structural support features 52.

[0075] Table 6 shows first mode frequency of a battery box casing 50 with and without structural support features 52. Example 1 exhibited a first mode frequency of about 19.23 Hz without ribs (e.g., baseline case), whereas the disclosed battery box casing 50 with the structural support features 52 exhibited a first mode frequency of about 22.48 Hz. The presence of the ribs increased the first mode frequency by about 17% relative to the baseline case. Similarly, Example 2 exhibited a first mode frequency of about 14.06 Hz without ribs (e.g., baseline case), whereas the disclosed battery box casing 50 with the structural support features 52 exhibited a first mode frequency of about 18.10 Hz. Higher natural frequency may be desired for better NVH performance within a vehicle as the vehicle may be subjected to constant noise during operation. Moreover, since the low viscosity resin composition 18 allows placement of ribs at desired locations (e.g., top surface 64a or bottom surface 64b of the plane 64), this approach may be used to tune NVH performance of the battery box casing 50 by selectively placing the structural support features 52 (e.g., ribs) to meet the desired NVH profile.

[0076] Tables 3-6 demonstrate that the presence of the structural support features 52 (e.g., unreinforced 3 mm thick ribs) may act as stiffness enhancers and NVH performance modifiers. For example, the results in Tables 3-6 demonstrate that the addition of the ribs was surprisingly found to decrease deflection for Example 2 when using fiberglass as the reinforcing material 14 in the vertical load case by 23% and in the lateral load case by 20%. Additionally, the first natural frequency for the for Example 2 increased by 29% with the ribs added. While the addition of ribs to injection molded parts is known to impart strength and rigidity to a material without increasing wall thickness, the use of high viscosity resins to form continuous fiber reinforced composites has been presented with various manufacturing challenges. The present embodiments demonstrate that the low viscosity and high toughness (as demonstrated by the performance of the vehiclecomponent under various load conditions) of the resin composition 18 described herein can accommodate more complex designs to form vehicle components 22 in a single-shot process (e.g., low pressure RTM, high pressure RTM) with high efficiency.

[0077] Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to producing vehicle components using low viscosity resins. It is presently recognized that utilizing low viscosity such as cyclic olefin polymer compositions may facilitate the low viscosity resin to flow into a mold to generate a vehicle component. The present embodiments demonstrate that the low viscosity resin compositions described herein advantageously facilitate the formation of vehicle components that include complex features. The low viscosity resins may be used to form vehicle components that may consist of a casing and structural support features. The casing may be composed of a reinforced composite material formed using a cured resin composition and a reinforcing material, and the structural support features may be composed of the cured resin composition. In certain embodiments, the vehicle component may be a battery box casing that includes structural support features such as ribs. Finite element analysis on the battery box demonstrates that the presence of structural support features (e.g., ribs) act as stiffness enhancers and NVH performance modifiers. In any case, the present embodiments demonstrate that the low viscosity resins described herein enables the production of vehicle components with complex features e.g., structural support features) in a single shot HPRTM process, which enables consolidation of parts and elimination of secondary processes. The disclosed methods describe a facile process that is scalable to generate vehicle components that exhibit high stiffness and improved first natural frequencies, which may be suitable for automotive industries.

[0078] To illustrate the processing benefits of utilizing a low viscosity cyclic olefin polymer composition, a HP-RTM mold flow simulation was performed. OpenFOAM (open source) mold flow simulation software with modifications by Simutence was utilized. Simulation parameters used to demonstrate the ability to quickly fill a large complex composite part with reinforcement ribs without any voids, partially filled ribs or sections, or other defects in the part: Single runner and injection point flowing into a 1 mm thick flow channel surround around the top perimeter of the part, a flow rate of 232 ml / s, a mold temperature of 100°C and resin temperature of 23°C. The Battery Box part configuration used for the simulation consisted of: Primary part thickness of 3 mm with a glass fabric reinforcement consisting of 4 layers, + / -450layup, fiber volume content of 50%; reinforcement ribs as outlined in Fig. 2-3 with a maximum thickness of up to 10 mm. The results of the simulation showed a fill time of 15 seconds could be achieved, while also completely and uniformly filling all of the reinforcement ribs throughout the part, and without any defects in the other sections of the part (e.g. voids, unfilled sections).

[0079] This written description uses embodiments / examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims and may include other embodiments / examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other embodiments / examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims. Many alterations, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure and that when numerical lower limits and numerical upper limits are listed herein, ranges from any lower limit to any upper limit are contemplated.

[0080] Embodiment 1. A vehicle component including a body composed of a reinforced composite material, wherein the reinforced composite material comprises a cured resin composition and a reinforcing material, wherein the body comprises a plurality of surfaces. The vehicle component also includes a plurality of structural support features composed of the cured resin composition, wherein the plurality of structural support features couple two or more surfaces of the plurality of surfaces of the body.

[0081] Embodiment 2. The vehicle component of the preceding embodiment, wherein the body is a battery box casing.

[0082] Embodiment 3. The vehicle component of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the plurality of structural support features includes ribs, gussets, bosses, or a combination thereof.

[0083] Embodiment 4. The vehicle component of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the vehicle component is selected from a fender, spoiler, truck bed, protective plate, electronic enclosures, instrument panels and components, seat frames, impact beams, drivetrain components, body panels, energy absorbing beams, frames, monocoques, or a combination thereof.

[0084] Embodiment 5. The vehicle component of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein a ratio of the body to the plurality of structural support features on a volume basis is 3: 1.

[0085] Embodiment 6. The vehicle component of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the plurality of structural support features includes a thickness ranging from about 1 millimeter (mm) to about 20 mm.

[0086] Embodiment 7. The vehicle component of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the plurality of structural support features includes a thickness ranging from about 1 millimeter (mm) to about 10 mm.

[0087] Embodiment 8. The vehicle component of any of the preceding embodiments, characterized by a decrease in vertical loading displacement ranging from about 5% to about 25% relative to a baseline vehicle component.

[0088] Embodiment 9. The vehicle component of any of the preceding embodiments, characterized by an increase in natural frequency ranging from about 12% to about 33% relative to a baseline vehicle component.

[0089] Embodiment 10. The vehicle component of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the reinforcing material is a continuous fabric reinforcement including carbon fiber, fiberglass, natural, or a combination thereof.

[0090] Embodiment 11. The vehicle component of any of the preceding embodiments, characterized by a reinforcing material loading ranging from about 10% to about 80% volume fraction.

[0091] Embodiment 12. The vehicle component of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the cured resin composition includes a cyclic olefin composition.

[0092] Embodiment 13. The vehicle component of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the cyclic olefin composition includes DCPD-based cyclic olefins, TCPD-based cyclic olefins, or combinations thereof.

[0093] Embodiment 14. The vehicle component of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the resin composition prior to curing is characterized by a viscosity ranging from about 1 cP to about 50 cP at 25°C.

[0094] Embodiment 15. A method comprising: providing a reinforcing material to a mold, providing a resin composition and a catalyst system into the mold, and curing the resin composition in the presence of the catalyst system to generate a vehicle component.

[0095] Embodiment 16. The method of the preceding embodiment, wherein the resin composition includes a cyclic olefin composition.

[0096] Embodiment 17. The method of the preceding embodiment, wherein the cyclic olefin composition includes DCPD-based cyclic olefins, TCPD-based cyclic olefins, or combinations thereof.

[0097] Embodiment 18. The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the catalyst composition includes one or more metal carbene catalysts.

[0098] Embodiment 19. The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the one or more metal carbene catalysts is selected from a first-generation Grubbs catalyst, a second-generation Grubbs catalyst, a Grubbs-Hoveyda catalyst, a third-generation Grubbs catalyst, or any combinations thereof.

[0099] Embodiment 20. The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the vehicle component is generated using low-pressure resin transfer molding or high-pressure resin transfer molding.

[0100] Embodiment 21. The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the resin composition is characterized by a viscosity ranging from about 1 cP to about 50 cP at 25°C.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A vehicle component, comprising:a body composed of a reinforced composite material, wherein the reinforced composite material comprises a cured resin composition and a reinforcing material, wherein the body comprises a plurality of surfaces; anda plurality of structural support features composed of the cured resin composition, wherein the plurality of structural support features couple two or more surfaces of the plurality of surfaces of the body.

2. The vehicle component of claim 1 , wherein the body is a battery box casing.

3. The vehicle component of claim 1, wherein the plurality of structural support features comprises ribs, gussets, bosses, or a combination thereof.

4. The vehicle component of claim 1, wherein the vehicle component is selected from a fender, spoiler, truck bed, protective plate, electronic enclosures, instrument panels and components, seat frames, impact beams, drivetrain components, body panels, energy absorbing beams, frames, monocoques, or a combination thereof.

5. The vehicle component of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the body to the plurality of structural support features on a volume basis is 3:1.

6. The vehicle component of claim 1, wherein the plurality of structural support features comprises a thickness ranging from about 1 millimeter (mm) to about 20 mm.

7. The vehicle component of claim 1, wherein the plurality of structural support features comprises a thickness ranging from about 1 millimeter (mm) to about 10 mm.

8. The vehicle component of claim 1, characterized by a decrease in vertical loading displacement ranging from about 5% to about 25% relative to a baseline vehicle component.

9. The vehicle component of claim 1, characterized by an increase in natural frequency ranging from about 12% to about 33% relative to a baseline vehicle component.

10. The vehicle component of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing material is a continuous fabric reinforcement comprising carbon fiber, fiberglass, natural, or a combination thereof.

11. The vehicle component of claim 10, characterized by a reinforcing material loading ranging from about 10% to about 80% volume fraction.

12. The vehicle component of claim 1 , wherein the cured resin composition comprises a cyclic olefin composition.

13. The vehicle component of claim 12, wherein the cyclic olefin composition comprises dicylcopentadiene (DCPD)-based cyclic olefins, tricyclopentadiene (TCPD)-based cyclic olefins, or combinations thereof.

14. The vehicle component of claim 12, wherein the resin composition prior to curing is characterized by a viscosity ranging from about 1 cP to about 50 cP at 25°C.

15. A method comprising:providing a reinforcing material to a mold:providing a resin composition and a catalyst system into the mold; andcuring the resin composition in the presence of the catalyst system to generate a vehicle component.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the resin composition comprises a cyclic olefin composition.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the cyclic olefin composition comprises dicylcopentadiene (DCPD)-based cyclic olefins, tricyclopentadiene (TCPD)-based cyclic olefins, or combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the catalyst system comprises one or more metal carbene catalysts.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more metal carbene catalysts comprise a first-generation Grubbs catalyst, a second-generation Grubbs catalyst, a Grubbs -Hovey da catalyst, a third-generation Grubbs catalyst, or any combinations thereof.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the vehicle component is generated using low-pressure resin transfer molding or high-pressure resin transfer molding.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the resin composition is characterized by a viscosity ranging from about 1 cP to about 50 cP at 25°C.

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