NIAR Research Publications
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Item Multiphysics modeling for safe batteries using LS-DYNA(International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, 2024-09-13) Di, Mauro G.; Guida, M.; Olivares, Gerardo; Gomez, L.M.Within the global push towards environmental sustainability, lithium-ion batteries are the dominant power source for various applications due to their high energy density. Therefore, aviation industry is increasingly investigating electrification as a potential solution to reduce emissions and combat climate change. However, widespread adoption is hindered by safety concerns arising from potential failure scenarios. A comprehensive understanding of these failure mechanisms is paramount for advancing lithium-ion battery safety and paving the way for a more sustainable aviation future. This paper presents a critical review of the current state of the art on lithium-ion battery failure mechanisms under diverse abuse conditions, encompassing thermal, electrical, and mechanical responses. It underscores the significance of multiphysics simulations, integrating structural, electrical, and thermal responses, in the design of inherently safer lithium-ion batteries. Furthermore, the paper focuses on Structural Batteries, a novel technology with the potential to revolutionize electric air transport. Structural Batteries offer a compelling solution by seamlessly integrating energy storage and load-bearing capabilities. This integration has the potential to alleviate the weight penalty associated with conventional battery packs in electric aircraft, thereby extending range and payload capacity. The paper analyzes the challenges and future directions for structural battery research. It emphasizes the pivotal role of advanced Finite Element Analysis simulations in modeling the behavior of structural batteries under abuse conditions. These simulations can be instrumental in predicting internal short circuit occurrence, a critical safety concern. By leveraging such predictive capabilities, the development of safer and more efficient structural batteries can be expedited, paving the way for a more sustainable future for electric aviation. © 2024, International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences. All rights reserved.Item Preliminary assessment for structural battery components(International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, 2024-09-13) Di, Mauro G.; Guida, M.; Olivares, Gerardo; Gomez, L.M.; Turco, R.; Tesser, R.; Mallardo, S.; Santagata, G.; Russo, P.In the context of global environmental sustainability initiatives, lithium-ion batteries have become the primary power source for a multitude of applications. Consequently, the aviation industry is increasingly exploring electrification as a potential solution to mitigate emissions and combat climate change. However, the widespread adoption of this technology is hampered by the limitations of conventional batteries, particularly their low specific and volumetric energy densities. This challenge justifies current research efforts on Structural Batteries, a novel technology designed to integrate energy storage and load-bearing functionalities within a single multifunctional material structure. This approach has the potential to significantly reduce the weight of electric airplanes. This paper presents the design, manufacturing process, and promising initial performance of a prototype Structural Battery demonstrator. Furthermore, the importance of incorporating eco-design principles to ensure sustainable recycling at the battery's end-of-life is emphasized. © 2024, International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences. All rights reserved.Item Modernization and Integration of Technologies for Ground Systems (MINT-GS): Qualification of 17-4PH stainless steel manufactured using laser powder bed fusion & direct energy deposition additive manufacturing processes(SAE International, 2024-09-19) Tomblin, John S.; Andrulonis, Rachael; Saathoff, Brandon L.; Shaw, Mark; Williams, Brady; Lowney, Matthew; Walker, EricThere is a critical military need to improve readiness and operational performance by utilizing Additive Manufacturing (AM) for the sustainment and modernization of ground vehicles. AM opens the opportunity to add value to the manufacturing of parts and components that may be limited or not achievable by traditional manufacturing methods and materials. Additionally, AM can serve as a secondary source of manufacturing that can solve supply-chain and obsolescence issues at the point of need or point of repair. One of the primary challenges that exists with AM is the lack of defined standards for the qualification of materials and processes. WSU-NIAR is collaborating with the Army Ground Vehicle System Center to address this challenge by establishing a rapid qualification process utilizing Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and Direct Energy Deposition (DED) AM processes with 17-4PH stainless steel material applied to ground vehicle parts of need. An overview of the 2023 MINT-GS projects at WSU-NIAR is discussed throughout this paper. In the early stages of this effort, candidate parts were jointly identified and a suitability assessment was performed for the AM processes considered using 17-4PH stainless steel. An overview of the critical path parts selected for qualification is provided along with the criteria used for the suitability assessment. Additionally, the pre-qualification (screening) and qualification considerations are discussed for each modality. © Rights reserved by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Michigan Chapter, authors and their respected organizations.Item In-situ consolidation thermoplastic process development for toolless automated fiber placement manufacturing in space(Soc. for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, 2024-05-23) Seneviratne, Waruna; Goertz, Josh; McDaniel, Ethan; Carmichael, GaugeTo meet NASA and space industries ambitious goals of deep space exploration and planetary habitation for enabling human presence beyond Earth, a paradigm shift in manufacturing and assembly of structures is required. Prefabricated structures built for space applications are significantly over-designed to withstand aggressive lift-off and transient loads during launch. Since the infrastructure required to achieve these objectives are constrained by the launch vehicle size and mission cost, it is imperative to develop the technologies required to manufacture and assemble large space-based platforms and habitats in space or on-site to be independent of Earth-based resources and logistics. To unleash the power of automation, an advanced dual-robotic automated fiber placement system that works in tandem to become a toolless manufacturing process was developed to fabricate advanced thermoplastic composite structures in space. With this highly adaptable automated toolless manufacturing (AToM) technology for thermoplastics, robot movements are coordinated to produce three dimensional composite parts out-of-autoclave. This is analogous to additive manufacturing with the added enhancement of continuous fibers in three-dimensional space for structural applications. This approach has several benefits; it would use a minimal number of resources and tooling, mitigate multiple launch requirements for large structures, revolutionize Earth-based manufacturing of aerospace structures, and it would not restrict the size, weight, or complexity of required structures. Since this is a construction-based technology, it spans across the energy, transportation, and shipping sectors. This technology is forecast to have a vast domain of development partners confirming its economical sustainability. It could be energy efficient, portable, and redeployable in orbit, to an asteroid, or to a planet. Since this technology does not require part-specific tooling and can accommodate large complex geometries, the construction is recyclable, repurposable, generates minimal scrap with high material yield, and enables performing structural repair or rework in space. © 2024 Soc. for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering. All rights reserved.Item Ultrasonic welding process development for thermoplastic aircraft fuselage skin panel(Soc. for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, 2024-05-23) Seneviratne, Waruna; Tomblin, John S.; Shafie, Mohamed; Walthers, Mark; Tummala, Akshay; Ziegler, Riley; Tiwari, SarjanReinforced thermoplastic composites are an attractive material solution for many commercial and defense vehicle applications due to their ability to reduce manufacturing cycle time and cost. Additionally, thermoplastic composites have superior toughness and environmental resistance compared to thermoset composites and offer the ability to eliminate or decrease the use of mechanical fasteners at joints by fusion/welding. When welding thermoplastic composite assemblies, each substrate is heated to melt the polymer at the interface of the joint. While heating, the joint is held under pressure until the polymer solidifies and the substrates are consolidated. This forms a unitized structure, with no identifiable interface after the welding is complete. Fusion also offers significant benefits over the bonding process due to the minimal substrate preparation, higher weld properties and its time efficiency. Ultrasonic Welding is one such fusion technology where the interface between two substrates is excited through high frequency vibrations. As part of the technology development, the weld process parameters, interface, and substrates were found to play key roles in the final weld quality. This work discusses the sensitivities and the key factors in thermoplastic weld development along with the manufacturing development for a scaling up process from coupon to sub-element level structural assessment. Strength characterization and weld parameter driven influences on interface quality were also investigated and documented based on findings. © 2024 Soc. for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering. All rights reserved.