Laser Overlap Welding of Tab-to-Terminal Electrical Interconnects for Electric Vehicle Battery Pack
Source abstract
Abstract
Abstract A battery pack consists of several Li-ion cells connected, with laser welding being the preferred method for creating strong and durable joints. This paper investigates laser overlap welding for producing tab-to-terminal interconnects for battery packs. A 1.5 kW QCW YLR fiber laser with a wobble head was used to weld 0.3 mm copper (Cu), nickel-plated copper (Cu[Ni]) and nickel (Ni) tabs to a 0.3 mm nickel-plated steel (Hilumin) terminal. The weldability and joint suitability analyses were conducted by evaluating joint strength, weld micrographs, joint resistance and temperature rise with the aim of developing a better and safer battery pack. It was observed that a maximum joint strength of 1125 N was obtained from the Ni tab-to-Hilumin joints which were approximately 39 and 48% more than the strength obtained for Cu[Ni] (804.79 N) and Cu (753.44 N) tab-to-Hilumin joints, respectively. The fractography analysis indicated ductile fracture with failure in base metal for Cu-based welds and brittle fracture with failure in the joint interface for Ni-based joints. This was in consistence with the microhardness results, which illustrated the hardest weld pool in Ni-to-Hilumin joint. In addition, the change in contact resistance and joint temperature rise was measured simultaneously for 180 s at 50 A amplitudes of current passed through the joints and showed higher resistance in Ni-to-Hilumin joint (0.54 mΩ) compared to Cu[Ni] (0.337 mΩ) and Cu (0.353 mΩ)-to-Hilumin joints.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Advanced Battery Technologies Research · Advancements in Battery Materials · Electrical Contact Performance and Analysis
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References (25)
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