Enabling Intelligent, Robust Light-Weight Structural Batteries for eVTOL/UAM
Abstract
An investigation is proposed to develop intelligent light-weight structural batteries that could beutilized as constructional materials to design and build e-VTOL (electrical vertical takeoff andlanding) or UAM (urban air mobility) that can achieve more than 30% weight saving, 40%additional volumetric space, and 50% more extended flight range than the current conventionalbattery design from the cell-to-modules-pack approach. The Multifunctional Energy StorageComposite (MESC) technology that was invented by the PI#s team will be utilized as a foundationto develop an integrated design-to-fabrication process for the e-VTOL or UAM applications. Theprocesswill involve three key components as listed below that will be thoroughly developed andevaluated in this study for this extremely weight-sensitive and ultra-reliable battery poweredaircraft application to achieve the aforementioned targets:1) Multiphysics analysis and optimization2) Robust integrated manufacturing process for structural battery3) Real-time monitoring for battery and structural health during operationDuring the process development, the team will work with Aurora/Boeing to select a platform forprototyping based on the proposed methodology. Key components will be selected and fabricatedto serve as structural battery components as prototypes. Mechanical/electrical/thermal tests will beconducted and characterize the performance of the components as compared to the componentsmade by the traditional methods. The proposed design-to-fabrication process once developedcould be applied to varieties of eVTOL and UAM that use any advanced batteries as the primarysource of energy during flight. The resulting study would lead to a fundamental paradigm changein the future design of battery powered aerial vehicles.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 15, 2024
- Source ID
- N000142412183
Entities
People
- Fu-Kuo Chang
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- Stanford University
- United States Navy