Battery Pack Vent Protection Brackets for Debris and Thermal Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traction battery packs in electrified vehicles mounted at external, underbody locations are susceptible to debris impingement, which can undermine the functionality of vent features and pose a risk during thermal events.
Innovation Solution
A polymeric protection bracket is designed to shield the vent feature of the traction battery pack, featuring a mesh pattern and a melting point lower than battery vent byproducts, secured with adhesive tape or mechanical fasteners, allowing for pressure equalization and debris deflection without obstructing vent gases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a protection bracket is added to shield the vent feature, then debris impingement protection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protection bracket is constructed from a thin polymeric sheet that is formed into a three-dimensional configuration. This thin-film approach provides debris protection while minimizing added complexity and weight compared to traditional rigid bracket designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymeric material's melting point is specifically selected to be lower than the temperature of battery vent byproducts. This parameter change ensures the bracket melts during thermal events to prevent blockage, providing protection functionality without requiring complex temperature control systems.
2Reliability
If the protection bracket is made of polymeric material with lower melting point, then thermal event safety is improved, but strength and durability may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The polymeric material is selected with specific parameter ranges: melting point between 100°C and 200°C (lower than battery vent byproduct temperatures), tensile strength between 10 MPa and 50 MPa, and elongation at break between 20% and 100%. These parameter changes balance thermal safety requirements with mechanical strength needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection bracket can be made from composite polymeric materials that combine multiple properties in a single material system, achieving both the required low melting point for thermal safety and sufficient mechanical strength for debris protection.
3Ease of manufacture
If the polymeric body is made thinner to reduce complexity, then ease of manufacture is improved, but protection effectiveness may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is formed from a thin polymeric sheet (thickness between 0.5 mm and 5 mm) that is molded into a three-dimensional configuration with protruding and recessed portions. This thin-film construction maintains ease of manufacture while the three-dimensional shaping provides effective debris deflection.
Solution Approach 2:
The thin polymeric sheet is transformed from a two-dimensional flat structure into a three-dimensional configuration with varying thickness, protrusions, and recesses. This dimensional transformation enhances protection effectiveness while maintaining the ease of manufacture associated with thin-material processing.
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 protection bracket effectively shields the vent feature from debris impingement, maintains functionality during thermal events, and reduces assembly complexity by avoiding tooling changes.
Implementation Method 1
the polymeric body includes a melting point that is less than a temperature of a battery vent byproduct of the traction battery pack
Implementation Method 2
the protection bracket is secured to the portion of the outer enclosure assembly by a two-sided adhesive tape
Data Source
AI summary
A traction battery pack for an electrified vehicle may include a protection bracket for shielding a vent feature of the traction battery pack. An exemplary protection bracket may be made of a polymeric material and is designed to shield the vent feature from debris impingement. The protection bracket may include features such as a mesh venting pattern and a melting point that is lower than the temperature of battery vent byproducts that may be released during battery thermal events of the traction battery pack.