Thermoplastic Ring Seal for Cylindrical Battery Pressure Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cylindrical or button batteries are prone to explosion and ignition due to inability to release high-pressure gas when heated, leading to safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A battery design featuring a tubular cap and shell with a thermoplastic ring seal that shrinks or tears at a set temperature (e.g., 100°C) to form a slit and release pressure, eliminating the need for additional pressure release valves, and incorporating a filler to insulate external slits and prevent short circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional hermetic seal structure is used, then the battery maintains good sealing performance, but the battery cannot release pressure when overheated leading to explosion hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The ring seal is made of thermoplastic material that changes its physical state at a specific temperature (100°C). Below this temperature, it maintains sealing properties; above this temperature, it softens and deforms to open pressure relief channels, thus changing parameters (temperature, viscosity, shape) to resolve the contradiction between sealing and pressure relief
Solution Approach 2:
The ring seal is designed with pre-formed deformation channels and stress concentration zones that prepare the structure in advance for pressure relief. When overheating occurs, the seal already has predetermined pathways for gas escape, preventing sudden explosion by cushioning the pressure buildup before it becomes critical
2Reliability
If additional pressure release valves are added, then the battery can release pressure safely, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ring seal performs multiple functions: it provides hermetic sealing during normal operation, acts as an insulator between cap and shell, and serves as a pressure relief mechanism when overheated. By making one component multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for separate pressure release valves, reducing device complexity while maintaining safety
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure relief function is merged into the ring seal structure itself rather than being a separate component. The seal incorporates internal deformation channels and tear lines that enable pressure relief without requiring additional valves or mechanisms, thus simplifying the overall device structure
3Strength
If the ring seal is made of conventional materials, then the seal maintains structural integrity, but it cannot deform or tear to release pressure when heated
Solution Approach 1:
The ring seal uses thermoplastic material whose mechanical properties (strength, viscosity, deformability) are functions of temperature. At room temperature, the material maintains high strength for sealing; at elevated temperatures (≥100°C), the material softens and becomes deformable, enabling automatic pressure relief through channel formation and tearing
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 effectively prevents battery explosions by automatically releasing pressure, enhancing safety, reducing costs, and simplifying manufacturing while maintaining a flat battery shape and preventing discharge due to salt accumulation.
Implementation Method 1
The ring seal is capable of shrinking or being torn when reaching a set temperature so as to form a slit between the side wall of the cap and the side wall of the shell to release pressure
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure discloses a cylindrical or button battery. The battery includes a cap, a shell and a ring seal, wherein the cap and the shell are both of a tubular structure having a cover portion and are fitted together to form a hermetic space for accommodating a battery cell; the ring seal is located between a side wall of the cap and a side wall of the shell and is capable of shrinking or being torn when reaching a set temperature so as to form a slit between the side wall of the cap and the side wall of the shell to release pressure. The ring seal of the battery can shrink or be torn at the set temperature to release pressure, and therefore the battery is characterized by excellent safety.