The 244th ECS meeting took place at Gothenburg (Sweden) from the 8th to the 12th of October. This international conference brings together the most active researchers in academia, government, and industry—professionals and students—to engage, discuss, and innovate in the areas of electrochemistry and solid-state science and related technologies. This is the premier destination for industry professionals to experience five days of learning, technical presentations, business development, and networking opportunities.
CIDAUT had the opportunity to present its work on the development of simulation models to improve battery safety. This work is focused on the lithium metal batteries (LMBs) safety studies including the investigation of predictive models to determine the critical parameters that would lead to potential failure and provide critical insights to understand the mechanical and internal short circuit behaviour of LMBs under mechanical abuse. Having a numerical model that correctly represents the cells and its response under different abuse tests could allow identifying main issues and helping on the cell design and chemistries to be used. To develop these models using LS-Dyna, it has been necessary to carry out studies of mechanical deformation on cell components and the complete cells. These studies have offered a better knowledge of the deformation of the inner components of the battery being useful to identify the mechanism that initiate short circuits under mechanical misuse conditions. Building numerical models for batteries requires experimental work that provides not only the data for mechanical behaviour of individual components (anode, cathode, separator, etc.), but also validation data for simulations of internal short circuit induced by mechanical abuse.
Automated driving is currently one of the major research topics in the automotive field, mainly motivated by the improvement of the safety [[1]]. It is supposed that automated driving will eliminate human error thank to the use of technology; however, as long as the automated vehicles continue to have to share the road with conventional cars, accidents will continue to occur. Against this background, CIDAUT together with i2CAT and CTAG have carried out a simulation model chain aimed at determining the occupant injuries after a side collision in an automated vehicle and in a complex urban environment at different speeds. To do this, it was necessary to digitally simulate both the environment where the accident takes place and the vehicle’s communications (i2CAT), as well as the autonomous car itself (CTAG). For its part, CIDAUT was responsible for determining the damage to the occupant caused by the accident.
The fact that the simulation tool focus on side collisions is principally due to the accidentology study carried out as part of the European OSCCAR project, in which CIDAUT participated. Specifically, it concluded that considering mixed traffic conditions, side impacts will continue to be common in autonomous vehicles (it is estimated that around 20% of the total).
Under that premise, the developed tool chain is able to simulate the consequences of a side impact over the occupant at different positions, and taking into account the communications with other vehicles or infrastructure. Briefly, the fact of being able to simulate V2X Communications allows us to know when the vehicle is informed about the risk of collision. In this way, we can adjust the parameters of the restraint system more realistically, taking into account that this information will allow us to deploy the airbags earlier.
This work is part of @INTEGRA project, an initiative that pursue projects and activities that respond to the major challenges of a new, safer, smarter, more sustainable, connected and automated mobility. The project, which is funded by CDTI through Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación in the frame of the funding for Excellence in Research Centres “Cervera”, involves the three research centres mentioned above: CTAG, CIDAUT and i2CAT, in addition to ITENE.
[1] Watzening D., Horn M. (2016) Automated driving: safer and more efficient future driving, Springer Interntional Pubishing. ISBN: 978-3-319-31893-6.
Automobile cockpit, various information monitors and head up displays. autonomous car, driverless car, driver assistance system, ACC(Adaptive Cruise Control), vector illustration
The manufacturers and suppliers of the automotive industry work at a breakneck pace to bring to the market their advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The question is, are these systems as secure as they should be and if their development is so robust, economical and fast, how can it be?
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Last March 8th, the NEOHIRE consortium met in Brussels to kick-off the project. All partners discussed the details of the implementation of the work plan for the following three years of research.
NEOHIRE project (NEOdymium-Iron-Boron base materials, fabrication techniques and recycling solutions to HIghly REduce the consumption of Rare Earths in Permanent Magnets for Wind Energy Application) aims to research and develop new Permanent Magnet material technologies and solutions, in order to achieve a High Efficient Electric Power System based on highly optimized Wind Turbines with a strongly reduced dependence of Europe Access to Critical Raw Materials, especially rare earth elements (REE).
All partners introduced their companies to the EC Project Officer, highlighting their respective role in the project: AICHI, Fraunhofer LBF, INDAR, Kolektor, KU Leuven, Università degli Studi Firenze, University of the Basque Country, University of Birmingham and CIDAUT are coordinated by CEIT.
In this project, CIDAUT will lead WP3 “Permanent Magnet prototyping, modelling, and simulation in windpower generators”, being directly in charge of the magnetic and mechanical properties simulations. CIDAUT also cooperates in WP5 “Life-Cycle Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis of the developed solution” supporting UNIFI to calculate the LCA associated to the new magnet.
One of the most challenging areas of research leaded by the Green Rotorcraft Consortium (GRC) within the Clean Sky Program was the development of Active Rotor Technologies as the Active Gurney Flap (AGF) systems, which enable a helicopter to operate with a reduced tip speed of its main rotor whilst preserving the current flight capabilities. The on-going validation of innovative AGF systems by the GRC required the manufacturing and testing in wind tunnel tests of small scale composite model blades before their implementation at full scale. The integration of the AGF systems into the model blades (figure 1) demanded a precise process and tooling design in order to allow an accurate assembly for an efficient performance.
Figure 1 Scheme of rotorcraft model blade with AFG system
Due to the small scale, the dimensional tolerances of the model rotor blade were very tight (less than +/- 0,1mm on the aerodynamic profile). This fact represented a great challenge for process and tooling design. Actually, to fulfil those tight tolerances, not only the mould had to be machined with very high precision means, but also the cavity design had to be designed with special consideration for minimizing any shape distortion induced by the process due to the different thermal and chemical shrinkage of the materials.
In close collaboration with the GRC consortium, CIDAUT contributed with its expertise in composite materials processing, and an innovative tooling design methodology. This methodology was based in process simulations capable of predicting distortions and solving process related issues from the early design stage. The methodology also avoided the need for expensive and long lasting trial and error procedures. Process simulation models developed by CIDAUT in the ACCUBLADE project included thermal and impregnation simulations for the analysis and optimization of critical process related issues, such as shape distortions caused by the different CTE of the materials, temperature gradients, or potential resin flow defects.
Laboratory characterisation tests were carried out with the selected materials in order to determine the required input data for the modelling of the most relevant causes of distortions when processing composite materials, including the warping and spring-in phenomena. Process simulation models were well correlated with experimental results obtained through the processing of flat and C-profile coupons with different layups and curing conditions (figure 2).
Figure 2 Simulation of process induced distortions: warping and spring-in phenomena
Based on the results of process simulations, the design of the suite of tools required for the processing of the model blades was optimized. This included the selection of the optimum tool materials, the definition of the proper alignment and clamping systems, and the integration of an efficient and homogenous heating and cooling system with in-mould sensors. Also, with the aim of evaluating potential improvements in the manufacturing process in terms of quality and costs, the mould was designed and manufactured allowing the evaluation of two alternative processes, both aimed at producing the same net model rotor blade product: compression moulding and SQRTM.
All tools were manufactured by CIDAUT using very fine milling means, and inspected to guarantee the fulfilment of the requirement specifications before putting them at the disposal of the GRC consortium for the processing of the model blades. The first three model blades produced with the tools (figure 3) were used for the validation of process and tooling designs, being subjected to destructive and non-destructive inspection tests including mechanical substantiation tests with fully satisfactory results.
Figure 3 Rotorcraft model blade produced for the integration of AGF systems
