Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019 - 21

Hybrid Structural Solutions
for Lightweighting and
Increased Crash Performance

Keeping Temperature in Check
with Thermal Interface Materials
for the BEV Market

Material and technology advancements have paved the way for rapid
advancement of lightweight substrates in today's vehicles. The use of adhesives,
in particular, enables alternate materials, such as aluminum, composites, plastics, magnesium
and high-strength steel to be joined together, while maintaining or improving strength and performance.

Lithium-ion batteries are like people in that if we get too hot or too cold,
we don't function at our best. BEV performance is optimized when components run in a
narrow temperature range between approximately 15 and 35 degrees Celsius.

Lose the Weight, Keep the Strength

safety

As we move toward the future, the transition to Battery Electric Vehicles means new
challenges related to lightweighting. Most notably, lithium-ion batteries may account for
600 to 800 kilograms of weight, depending on car size and targeted reach.
In 2018, Henkel partnered with RLE International, one of the world's leading development,
technology and consultation service providers to the engineering industry at-large, to study
the impact of replacing conventional, all-metal components with hybrid designs using
high-performance structural foam. Enabling weight reduction, without sacrificing strength.

Study Results
A joint study shows 40 kg of weight per car can
be saved, while meeting or exceeding crash
standards, through the use of hybrid structural
parts. The make up of the inserts includes:

* Fiber-reinforced frame or carrier,
injection molded in 30 percent glass-filled
polyamide resin.

Crash Simulation Examples

What is a thermal interface material?
A thermal interface material (TIM) is any material inserted between
two components to enhance thermal coupling between them.
In Battery Electric Vehicles, TIM is used to dissipate heat to the
cooling plate, while offering additional benefits, including:

* Relieves stress from thermal cycling
IIHS Small Overlap
Reduced thickness of the front
bumper bar and inner sill (rocker)
with no intrusion into the battery
cells and a front wall intrusion of
less than 150mm.

* Increases electrical insulation
* Reduces gaps
* Improves long-term stability and operating conditions of the battery

Gap filler application on a lithium-ion battery pack

Options for different needs

* Structural foam which expands in the e-coat
oven and creates a stiff connection between
the hybrid structure and other parts of the
body-in-white.

Chemistry plays a key role in keeping heat in check through thermal interface materials that reduce the change
for 'thermal runaway' - which can short circuit battery cells.

IIHS Roof Crush
Weight savings through downgauging
the A-/B pillar reinforcements while
exceeding a targeted crush
performance strength-to-weight ratio
of greater than four.

Two key TIM options for battery electric vehicles include
thermal gap pads and thermal gap fillers.

Gap pads
Exceptional conformability and useful when dealing with
uneven surfaces, air gaps and rough surface textures.

Gap fillers
Dispensed in a liquid state, creating virtually no stress
on components, while conforming to the most intricate
topographies and multilevel surfaces - filling the smallest gaps
and air voids.

Click here for additional details.

Lab technicians from Bergquist, a Henkel company, review gap filler
applied on an electronics component.

http://www.themobilityalliance.co?utm_source=mobility_alliance&utm_medium=digital_editorial&utm_campaign=shift https://www.henkel-adhesives.com/us/en/industries/electronics/automotive-electronics/emobility.html?utm_source=emobility&utm_medium=digital_full_page_ad&utm_campaign=shift

Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Shift Magazine - November 25, 2019