Dampening Layer Partitioning Battery Electrodes for Impact Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium batteries are prone to failure and thermal runaway due to mechanical impacts, which can cause electrical shorting and increased risk of fire, as the electrodes compress and rupture, leading to a cascade of failures.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a dampening layer within the battery cell to partition the electrodes into subsets, absorbing mechanical impacts and preventing failures by distributing the thermal runaway threshold capacity, thereby enhancing safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dampening layer is added to absorb mechanical impacts, then battery safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dampening layer is nested within the battery cell structure, specifically positioned between the electrode stack and the battery can. This integration approach allows the safety component to be incorporated without adding external complexity to the overall battery design, resolving the contradiction between improved safety and increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The dampening layer is pre-installed within the battery cell to provide protective cushioning against mechanical impacts before failures occur. This proactive safety measure absorbs mechanical energy and prevents electrode rupture, addressing the technical contradiction by improving reliability through advance protection while maintaining relatively simple implementation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the dampening layer partitions electrodes into subsets, then thermal runaway risk is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dampening layer is positioned to partition the electrode stack into distinct subsets, creating physical separation that limits the propagation of thermal runaway. This segmentation approach reduces harmful effects by containing potential failures within specific electrode subsets while maintaining straightforward integration into the existing battery manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The dampening layer acts as an intermediary component between electrode subsets, providing both mechanical cushioning and thermal isolation. This mediator function reduces thermal runaway risk by preventing direct contact and energy transfer between electrode groups, while the single-layer implementation keeps manufacturing complexity low.
3Reliability
If dampening layers are added at multiple positions, then impact protection is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dampening layer is strategically positioned at the most critical location within the battery cell - between the electrode stack and the rigid can structure where mechanical impacts are most likely to cause damage. This localized approach provides effective impact protection at the point of greatest need without requiring multiple layers throughout the entire battery, thus enhancing reliability while minimizing added complexity.
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 dampening layer effectively absorbs mechanical impacts, reducing the risk of thermal runaway and electrode failure, ensuring safer battery operation by dividing the thermal runaway threshold capacity and preventing short circuits.
Implementation Method 1
The dampening layer is configured to absorb a mechanical impact on the enclosure to prevent a failure of the set of electrodes
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed technology relates to a battery utilizing a dampening layer to prevent a failure of the battery. The battery includes an enclosure, a set of electrodes enclosed within the enclosure, and a dampening layer disposed within the set of electrodes. The dampening layer partitions the set of electrodes into a first subset of electrodes and a second subset of electrodes. The dampening layer is configured to absorb a mechanical impact on the enclosure to prevent a failure of at least one of the first subset of electrodes and the second subset of electrodes. The dampening layer may be formed at least one of a polymer, metal, and ceramic.