Client

Hindalco,
India

Industry

Automobile

Challenge

One of Timetooth’s clients intends to enter the rapidly expanding 4-wheeler Electric Vehicle (EV) market by undertaking the design and development of a cutting-edge battery enclosure. Leveraging their proprietary aluminum extrusions, the goal was to create a design that not only matches but surpasses the structural performance of existing solutions. The challenge is further amplified by an exceptionally tight product to market timeline, emphasizing the urgency and demand for swift and effective innovation.

Service Area

Design & Engineering Simulations

Timeline

September 2022

The battery enclosure was excited in vertical and horizontal directions with appropriate values of G-force and time in the form of half sinusoidal waveform as defined in the safety standard.

Key Engineering Solutions

1. Natural frequency of the new design exceeded the target natural frequency.

2. There was no negative effect on the functionality of the central structure of the new conceptualized design demonstrated by the squeeze test. As expected only the outer member experienced a squeeze.

3. The battery enclosure is safe in drop test analysis with deflections within limits and the maximum stresses observed in the structure are less than the yield point of the material used for the battery enclosure.

Solutions

TimeTooth adopted a dynamic approach, combining brainstorming for concepts development with a simultaneous virtual analysis of the baseline and conceptualized design’s performance against the safety guidelines of the Electric Vehicle Safety Guide (2019 version), in congruence with the GB/T 1834.3 – Electrical Propelled Road Vehicles Safety Specifications.

With an initial idea to utilize extruded aluminum L-sections for side members, and box sections for middle cross members in the battery enclosure. Following the initial design conceptualization phase, comprehensive design reviews were carried out with the client’s manufacturing facility. This aimed to gauge the feasibility and limitations of extrusion manufacturing while refining the initial concepts. Finite element model was developed with optimum mesh size and element quality criteria as per the industry standards.

Finite Element Analysis of the 4 Wheeler Battery Enclosure was carried out, required as per the safety standards. Modal Analysis was performed to determine the different mode shapes and their respective natural frequencies of the battery enclosure.

Next, GBT Squeeze Test Analysis was performed by squeezing the battery enclosure at the most vulnerable location by a cylindrical impactor of standard dimension with a velocity as defined in the safety standard. Furthermore, Mechanical Shock Test Analysis was performed with the mass of the batteries added to the battery enclosure. The battery enclosure was excited in vertical and horizontal directions with appropriate values of G-force and time in the form of half sinusoidal waveform as defined in the safety standard. Concluding the virtual testing series, Drop Test Analysis was performed by dropping the enclosure vertically downwards from a certain height as mentioned in the safety standard. A comprehensive evaluation of the battery enclosure’s structural performance was completed. The design and analysis were shared with the client.

Key Highlights

    ROI for the client

    Preliminary product design and analysis in a record time of 21 days resulted in reduced time to market.

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