Battery Cell Current Collector Venting for Thermal Runaway
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery cells face risks of fire and explosion due to poor pressure relief during thermal runaway, primarily caused by blockage of current collecting members preventing efficient gas discharge.
Innovation Solution
A battery cell design featuring a first current collecting member with a through hole and outward protruding corners on its wall surface, allowing thermal runaway gas to concentrate stress at these corners, facilitating easier tearing and enhancing gas exhaust efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a through hole is formed in the first current collecting member, then the gas exhaust efficiency is improved, but the current collecting member may be torn during thermal runaway
Solution Approach 1:
The first corner on the hole wall surface creates a localized structural feature with different mechanical properties than the rest of the current collecting member. This local corner structure concentrates stress during thermal runaway, enabling controlled tearing at this specific location while maintaining the integrity of other parts of the current collecting member.
Solution Approach 2:
The current collecting member is effectively segmented by the through hole and the first corner feature. The first corner acts as a predetermined weak point that allows the structure to separate or tear in a controlled manner during thermal runaway, facilitating gas release while maintaining electrical connectivity through the remaining structure.
2Productivity
If the first corner protrudes outward from the through hole, then stress concentration is improved for easier tearing, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The first corner protrusion is pre-formed during the manufacturing process of the current collecting member. This preliminary structural feature is prepared in advance so that during thermal runaway, the stress concentration and tearing action occur automatically at the predetermined first corner location without requiring additional components or complex mechanisms.
3Strength
If the angle of the first corner is between 0° and 90°, then the tearing effect is enhanced, but the processing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The first corner is designed with a specific angle parameter range (0° to 90°) that optimizes the stress concentration effect during thermal runaway. By controlling the angle parameter within this range, the structure achieves effective tearing while remaining feasible for manufacturing processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design reduces the risk of fire and explosion by improving exhaust smoothness and efficiency, thereby enhancing the use reliability of the battery cell.
Implementation Method 1
the acting force acted on the first current collecting member can concentrate stress at the first corner on the hole wall surface of the through hole when the battery cell is in a thermal runaway and relieves an internal gas
Data Source
AI summary
The battery cell includes a housing assembly, an electrode assembly, and a first current collecting member. The housing assembly includes a first electrode lead-out portion that inputs or outputs electric energy. The electrode assembly and the first current collecting member each are accommodated in the housing assembly, the first current collecting member is located at one end of the electrode assembly along a first direction, and the first current collecting member electrically connects the first electrode lead-out portion and the electrode assembly. The first current collecting member is provided with a through hole that penetrates the first current collecting member along the first direction, a first corner is formed on a hole wall surface of the through hole along an orthogonal projection along the first direction, and a part of the through hole along the orthogonal projection along the first direction is located within the first corner.