Investigation of internal short circuits of lithium-ion batteries under mechanical abusive conditions

Current studies on the mechanical abuse of lithium-ion batteries usually focus on the mechanical damage process of batteries inside a jelly roll. In contrast, this paper investigates the internal short circuits inside batteries. Experimental results of voltage and temperature responses of lithium-ion batteries showed that battery internal short circuits evolve from a soft internal short circuit to a hard internal short circuit, as battery deformation continues. We utilized an improved coupled electrochemical-electric-thermal model to further analyze the battery thermal responses under different conditions of internal short circuit. Experimental and simulation results indicated that the state of charge of Li-ion batteries is a critical factor in determining the intensities of the soft short-circuit response and hard short-circuit response, especially when the resistance of the internal short circuit decreases to a substantially low level. Simulation results further revealed that the material properties of the short circuit object have a significant impact on the thermal responses and that an appropriate increase in the adhesion strength between the aluminum current collector and the positive electrode can improve battery safety under mechanical abusive conditions.