Battery housings in electric vehicles (EVs) must be impact-resistant, absorb crash energy, prevent short circuits, and withstand high temperatures.
Dr. Rico Schmerler (left) and Dr. Thomas Hipke at The Battery Show North America. (Image: Fraunhofer IWU)
They also require efficient heat dissipation while protecting cells from excessive cooling. The housing must resist corrosion and road debris, fit the vehicle’s underbody, add structural rigidity, and remain lightweight to help extend range.
To this end, the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU) and automotive supplier Amsted Automotive presented an integrally designed battery housing made with aluminum foam sandwiches at The Battery Show last month in Detroit.
This structure consists of two solid aluminum sheets enclosing a core of aluminum foam. The design can incorporate either a cooling structure or a thermal storage layer containing phase change material (PCM), which absorbs or releases heat as it transitions between solid and liquid states.
Fraunhofer IWU has demonstrated that PCM can be successfully integrated into closed-cell aluminum foam. Because PCM absorbs or releases large amounts of thermal energy without major temperature changes, it’s well suited for managing heat in lithium-ion batteries.
The demonstrator presented in Detroit highlights multiple potential configurations, including pure aluminum-aluminum foam sandwiches (AAS), AAS with infiltrated PCM, AAS with a cooling structure, and AAS combining both features.
To support potential mass production, researchers led by Dr. Thomas Hipke and Dr. Rico Schmerler are focusing on cost optimization. A key factor in determining future manufacturing costs is the price of raw materials.
“We are increasingly using recycled material to produce the aluminum foam,” said Hipke. “Not only is this significantly more cost-effective, but it also greatly reduces the CO₂ footprint.”
Filed Under: Batteries, Technology News