The load bearing capacity of a laminated glass pane changes with temperature. In blast protection, laminated glass panes with a Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) interlayer are usually employed. The post-crack response of the laminated pane is determined by the interlayer material response and its bond to the glass plies. An experimental study has been performed to determine the effects of temperature on the post cracked response of laminated glass at a test rate of 1 m/s for PVB thicknesses of 0.76 mm, 1.52 mm and 2.28 mm. Tensile tests were carried out on single cracked and randomly cracked samples in a temperature range of 0 °C–60 °C. Photoelasticity observation and high speed video recording were used to capture the delamination in the single cracked tests. Competing mechanisms of PVB compliance and the adhesion between the glass and PVB, were revealed. The adhesion showed an increase at lower temperatures, but the compliance of the PVB interlayer was reduced. Based on the interlayer thickness range tested, the post-crack response of laminated glass is shown to be thickness dependent

To increase the specific energy of commercial lithium-ion batteries, silicon is often blended into the graphite negative electrode. However, due to large volumetric expansion of silicon upon lithiation, these silicon–graphite (Si–Gr) composites are prone to faster rates of degradation than conventional graphite electrodes. Understanding the effect of this difference is key to controlling degradation and improving cell lifetimes. Here, the effects of state-of-charge and temperature on the aging of a commercial cylindrical cell with a Si–Gr electrode (LG M50T) are investigated. The use of degradation mode analysis enables quantification of separate rates of degradation for silicon and graphite and requires only simple in situ electrochemical data, removing the need for destructive cell teardown analyses. Loss of active silicon is shown to be worse than graphite under all operating conditions, especially at low state-of-charge and high temperature. Cycling the cell over 0–30% state-of-charge at 40 °C resulted in an 80% loss in silicon capacity after 4 kA h of charge throughput (∼400 equiv full cycles) compared to just a 10% loss in graphite capacity. The results indicate that the additional capacity conferred by silicon comes at the expense of reduced lifetime. Conversely, reducing the utilization of silicon by limiting the depth-of-discharge of cells containing Si–Gr will extend their lifetime. The degradation mode analysis methods described here provide valuable insight into the causes of cell aging by separately quantifying capacity loss for the two active materials in the composite electrode. These methods provide a suitable framework for any experimental investigations involving composite electrodes.

In blast protective design, laminated glass is used to facilitate the safety of building occupants. Laminated glass provides its safety through the maintenance of the bond between the glass and the interlayer, and also through the deformation of the interlayer. The amount of deformation is related to the stretching of the interlayer, which is related to the amount of adhesion between the glass and the interlayer. An experimental and modelling study has taken place on the bond between the glass and the interlayer at different testing rates and temperatures. Tensile tests on cracked laminated glass and pure PVB were carried out. These tests were coupled with fracture mechanics methods to calculate a bond fracture toughness. This bond fracture toughness was used to develop a finite element model to predict the separation between the glass and the interlayer. From the experimental studies it was found that the adhesion between the glass and the interlayer is temperature independent in the range of 20 o C-60 o C at a constant testing rate. In contrast, at a constant temperature the adhesion was found to be loading rate dependent. The finite element model developed showed good consistency with experimental data for a range of testing rates and temperatures.

The hybrid/ electric vehicle (H/EV) market is very dependent on battery models. Battery models inform cell and battery pack design, critical in online battery management systems and can be used as predictive tools to maximise the lifetime of a battery pack. Battery models require parameterization, through experimentation. Temperature affects every aspect of a battery's operation and must therefore be closely controlled throughout all battery experiments. Today, the private-sector prefers climate chambers for experimental thermal control. However, evidence suggests that climate chambers are unable to adequately control the surface temperature of a battery under test. In this study, laboratory apparatus is introduced that controls the temperature of any exposed surface of a battery through conduction. Pulse discharge tests, temperature step change tests and driving cycle tests are used to compare the performance of this conductive temperature control apparatus (CTCA) against a climate chamber across a range of scenarios. The CTCA outperforms the climate chamber in all tests. In CTCA testing, the rate of heat removal from the cell is increased by two orders of magnitude. The CTCA eliminates error due to cell surface temperature rise, which is inherent to climate chamber testing due to insufficient heat removal rates from a cell under test. The CTCA can reduce the time taken to conduct entropic parameterization of a cell by almost 10 days, a 70% reduction in the presented case. Presently, the H/EV industry's reliance on climate chambers is impacting the accuracy of all battery models. The industry must move away from the flawed concept of convective cooling during battery parameterization.

Battery models are one of the most important tools for understanding the behaviour of batteries. This is particularly important for the fast-moving electrical vehicle industry, where new battery chemistries are continually being developed. The main limiting factor on how fast battery models can be developed is the experimental technique used for collection of data required for model parametrisation. Currently, this is a very time-consuming process. In this paper, a fast novel parametrisation testing technique is presented. A model is then parametrised using this testing technique and compared to a model parametrised using current common testing techniques. This comparison is conducted using a WLTP (worldwide harmonised light vehicle test procedure) drive cycle. As part of the validation, the experiments were conducted at different temperatures and repeated using two different temperature control methods: climate chamber and a Peltier element temperature control method. The new technique introduced in this paper, named AMPP (accelerated model parametrisation procedure), is as good as GITT (galvanostatic intermittent titration technique) for parametrisation of ECMs (equivalent circuit models); however, it is 90% faster. When using experimental data from a climate chamber, a model parametrised using GITT was marginally better than AMPP; however, when using experimental data using conductive control, such as the ICP (isothermal control platform), a model parametrised using AMPP performed as well as GITT at 25 °C and better than GITT at 10 °C.