Modeling and short circuit detection of 18650 Li-ion cells under mechanical abuse conditions

▸ A comprehensive set of mechanical abuse tests were performed on 18650 cylindrical cells. ▸ Force, displacement, voltage and temperature were measured; onset of short-circuit was detected. ▸ At short-circuit, a local drop in force was coincident with drop in voltage and rise in temperature. ▸ A computational model was developed, and short circuit was predicted by a local peak in the force. ▸ A very good correlation was obtained between the simulation and the test results.