Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair

Edward M. Sabolsky

Committee Co-Chair

Patrick Browning

Committee Member

Wade W. Huebsch

Abstract

The goal of this work was to design a battery that serves as the structural material as well as the power source for a transportation vehicle. The combination of both mechanical and electrochemical aspects within one material defines the component as a multifunctional material, or in this case, a multifunctional battery. The design of the composite multifunctional batteries for optimal performance involves the proper selection of the materials, architecture, and electrical interconnection. The ultimate goal is to incorporate a battery with a continuous composite fibrous fabric within the structured composite skin of a vehicle (such as an automobile or aircraft).;This work included a survey of the electrochemical potential of multiple composite fabrics, such as fiberglass and modified carbon fiber, as substitutions for the electrode and separator materials of the battery. Each modified material was examined by a typical cyclic voltage-capacity testing in a traditional button cell platform. The performance for the use of the modified carbon fibers as the anode was then compared to the performance of conventional lithium ion materials to see which of the pretreatments improved the carbon fiber's performance. In addition to this electrochemical testing, flexure and tensile mechanical data of various geometries of perforated pouch cell architectures were examined under varying structural loads while the battery was electrochemically tested. In-situ testing of structural cells was conducted to determine the best configuration for object specific structural batteries.

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