Battery Containment Frame With Energy Absorption and Sealed Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery containment systems for electric and hybrid vehicles face challenges with weight savings, impact resistance, fire safety, and manufacturing complexity due to the use of metal bolts and composite materials, which are prone to corrosion and water penetration.
Innovation Solution
A high-strength frame for a battery containment system is designed with an interior component, support components, and energy absorption components, formed from reinforced materials like SMC and carbon fiber, providing impalement resistance, impact resistance, and fluid penetration prevention, and featuring a unitary tray and cover configuration for improved manufacturing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If metal bolts and nuts are used to join composite material containment boxes, then the boxes can be assembled, but the manufacturing process becomes complex and slow with high manufacturing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes metal bolts and nuts from the assembly process entirely. Instead of using threaded fasteners, the containment box uses integrated recesses and protrusions molded directly into the composite parts, allowing assembly through simple insertion and friction fit or adhesive bonding, thereby eliminating the complex multi-step process of drilling, tapping, inserting, and securing bolts.
Solution Approach 2:
The joining features (recesses and protrusions) are merged directly into the composite material components during the molding process. This integration eliminates separate fastening components and combines the structural and joining functions into single parts, simplifying the manufacturing process and increasing throughput.
2Reliability
If metal bolts are used to join composite containment boxes, then the boxes can be assembled, but the bolts wear down the composite material near bolt holes causing degraded seals and failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates metal bolts entirely from the assembly system. Instead of using abrasive threaded fasteners that contact and wear the composite material, the design uses non-mechanical joining methods through integrated recesses and protrusions that connect without requiring threaded engagement, thus preventing wear and seal degradation.
3Weight of moving object
If composite materials are used for battery containment boxes, then weight is reduced, but the boxes do not provide sufficient protection against impact and impalement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials (such as fiber-reinforced polymers) for the containment box construction. These composite materials provide high strength-to-weight ratio, maintaining lightweight properties while achieving sufficient impact and impalement resistance through optimized material composition and structural design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates an energy absorption component with a geometric structure designed to deform and absorb impact energy. This component adds a dimensional aspect to the protection mechanism, creating a progressive deformation structure that dissipates impact forces before they reach the battery, thereby enhancing protection without significantly increasing weight.
4Weight of moving object
If composite material containment boxes are used, then weight is reduced, but the boxes are prone to corrosion and water penetration at weld and bolt areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes metal fasteners and weld joints from the composite containment box construction. By eliminating these metal components that create corrosion and water penetration pathways, the design achieves inherent corrosion and water resistance throughout the entire structure, maintaining reliability while preserving the lightweight advantage of composite materials.
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 solution achieves significant weight reduction while maintaining high strength and impact resistance, enhancing manufacturing throughput, and ensuring the batteries are protected from impacts and fires, with minimal intrusion and high resistance to quasi-static loads.
Implementation Method 1
a first energy absorption component... providing impalement resistance, impact resistance
Data Source
AI summary
A high strength frame of a sealable containment system is provided for containing and protecting energy cells or batteries. The protection provided by the high strength frame provides impalement resistance, impact resistance, fire resistance, and fluid penetration prevention. The frame includes a shock structure/energy absorber to protect the battery from forces during potential impacts with other vehicles or objects. The frame of a battery containment system is further designed to resist impalements in order to protect the batteries. Furthermore, because vehicle batteries are prone to extreme fire in the event of an impact or impalement, the containment system provides a sealed battery environment to keep fluid and moisture out during normal operation and to limit oxygen in the event of a battery fire.