Changes in the Mechanical Behavior of Electrically Aged Lithium-Ion Pouch Cells: In-plane and Out-of-Plane Indentation Loads with Varying Testing Velocity and State of Charge

The knowledge about the influence of electrical aging on the behavior of lithium-ion cells under mechanical loads is of high importance to ensure a safe use of batteries over the lifetime in electric vehicles. In order to describe the mechanical behavior in relation to electrical aging, fresh and electrically aged NCM pouch cells were investigated under different mechanical crash loads. For the first time, the aged cells’ behavior under quasistatic lateral loading was taken into account. Aged cells showed lower maximum forces compared to the fresh cells. The reason of the changed mechanical cell behavior was explained with the different buckling behavior of fresh and aged cells by experimental images. Furthermore, quasistatic and dynamic crash tests in cell’s thickness direction were performed at varying state of charge (SOC) and compared to the results of a previously published study. Independently of the testing velocity, the electrically aged cells failed at increased deformation values. This observation was justified by an increased cell thickness due to an additional softer layer, formed on the aged graphite particle surface, which was observed by the means of scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, the aged cells showed lower failure forces of up to −11% under quasistatic and dynamic loads at 0% SOC. It was also illustrated that electrical aging causes a deeper voltage drop after cell failure, which suggests a higher energy release after the internal short circuit. The investigations show that electrical aging has a significant influence on the mechanical properties of lithium-ion cells and must be taken into account in the safety assessment.