Design and Numerical Analysis of Electric Vehicle Li-Ion Battery Protections Using Lattice Structure Undergoing Ground Impact

Improvement in electric vehicle technology requires the lithium-ion battery system’s safe operations, protecting battery fire damage potential from road debris impact. In this research a design of sandwich panel construction with a lattice structure core is evaluated as the battery protection system. Additive manufacturing technology advancements have paved the way for lattice structure development. The sandwich protective structure designs are evaluated computationally using a non-linear dynamic finite element analysis for various geometry and material parameters. The lattice structure’s optimum shape was obtained based on the highest Specific Energy Absorption (SEA) parameter developed using the ANOVA and Taguchi robust design method. It is found that the octet-cross lattice structure with 40% relative density provided the best performance in terms of absorbing impact energy. Furthermore, the sandwich panel construction with two layers of lattice structure core performed very well in protecting the lithium-ion NCA battery in the ground impact loading conditions, which the impactor velocity is 42 m/s, representing vehicle velocity in highway, and weigh 0.77 kg. The battery shortening met the safety threshold of less than 3 mm deformation.

Response surface methodology and Taguchi method based applications – A Review

Response surface methodology (RSM) is usually applied together with a factorial design to reduce the cost of experimentation and is especially useful when there are more potential factors than money to study a response. It was designed as a tool to have a lot of (partial) answers with as few experiments as possible; to detect factors that influence a response, and whether they interact, as well as finding an optimum treatment within a specific setup. On the other hand, the Taguchi method is a statistical method, also called robust design method, to improve the quality of manufactured goods, and more recently also applied to engineering. This paper presents an extensive literature review on the concept of the RSM and Taguchi methods in solvent extraction, engineering optimization and several machining process parameters.

A Robust Design Perspective on Factors Influencing Geometric Quality in Metal Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) for metals is a widely researched, continuously enhanced manufacturing process and is implemented across various industries. However, the AM process exhibits variation that affects the geometric quality of the end product. The effect of process variation on geometric quality is rarely considered during design stages. This paper discusses the various sources that contribute to geometric variation and the prospect of applying robust design method to produce geometry assured AM products. A framework for geometric robustness analysis of AM products is presented as an outcome. This framework would facilitate development of methods and tools to produce geometry assured AM products. The prospects of variation simulation to support geometric robustness analysis and the challenges associated with it are discussed.