Fiber and Hair Contamination Characterisation
In battery modules and fuel systems, even a single fibre can trigger failure. This project defines the risk and builds cleaner, cost-effective contamination specifications.
Project description
Technical cleanliness is critical for systems such as fuel systems, battery modules and battery packs, where fibres, hair contamination and metallic or non-metallic particles can cause failures by bridging gaps and triggering internal short circuits, particularly under varying humidity and temperature conditions. Standards such as ISO 16232 and the VDA cleanliness framework guide contamination assessment but controlling fibrous and hair contamination during production and assembly remains highly challenging and often requires costly controlled environments or cleanrooms. This project aims to improve the understanding of fibre and hair-related damage mechanisms to support the development of more balanced and cost-effective technical cleanliness specifications.
Outcome
The project will deliver a fibre and hair contamination taxonomy with morphology and composition data, evaluate conductivity-related internal short-circuit risks, develop draft cleanliness specifications and test protocols for battery modules and packs and provide datasets, image documentation and recommendations for production improvement and supplier communication.