Electro-Thermo-Mechanical Behaviours of Laser Joints for Electric Vehicle Battery Interconnects

An automotive battery pack used in electric vehicle (EV) comprises several hundred to a few thousand of individual Lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells when cylindrical cells are used to build the battery pack. These cells are connected in series and/or parallel to deliver the required power and capacity to achieve the designed vehicle driving range. This triggers the need for suitable joining methods capable of providing mechanical strength together with the required electrical and thermal performances. A range of joining techniques are currently employed to connect large numbers of cells, and of these, laser welding is estimated to be the one of most efficient methods. Typically, the cylindrical cell casing is made of electrical grade steel which is electrically connected to copper tabs representing the cylindrical cell terminal to tab interconnect within the battery pack assembly. This study focuses on identifying the effect of laser welding process parameters on the mechanical, electrical and thermal responses of the laser welded joints produced using a 150 W Quasi-CW IR laser. Mechanical strength is assessed by evaluating the lap shear strength of the joint whereas the electrical and thermal responses are captured using voltage sensors and a thermal imaging camera respectively. It was observed that mechanical strength of the joint is highly correlated with electrical resistance and corresponding temperature raise at the joint. Furthermore, the optical micrographs reveal the microstructural characteristics of the joint.