Vehicle Battery Fires: Why They Happen and How They Happen

Description

Battery Fires: Why They Happen and How They Happen was written to assist those interested in this type of incident understand how automotive fires develop, spread and the damage they cause, using both deductive and inductive reasoning. The main focus of the book resides in looking at differences in failure modes between DC and AC systems, general types of battery and electrical failure modes leading to fire, how to interpret electrical fire, determination of the primary failed part, and other skills the investigating engineer will require to perform technical failure mode analysis. However, some fires have consumed the evidence to the point where a determination cannot be made with any degree of certainty. In this instance, evidence will be quite limited, and the analysis will have its limitations and should be included in the discussion as such. In some cases, a “cause undetermined” report is all the evidence will support. Battery Fires: Why They Happen and How They Happen is a unique title which brings together the theory and the practice of correctly evaluating the root causes of unexpected and dangerous automobile fires. Front Matter Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: History of the Battery 1.1 Early Beginnings and Experiments 1.2 The Lead-Acid Battery 1.3 Early Lead-Acid Battery Designs References Chapter 2: Battery Designs 2.1 Basic Concepts 2.2 Elements of a Battery 2.3 Lead-Acid Plate Designs 2.4 Insulator and Separator Design Issues 2.5 Valve Regulated Lead-Acid Designs 2.6 Gelled Electrolyte Lead-Acid Designs 2.7 Absorbent (Absorptive) Glass Mat 2.8 Deep-Cycle Battery Designs 2.9 Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Designs 2.10 Dual Battery Technology for Hybrid and All-Electric Vehicles Using Stop/Start Technology 2.11 Casing Design Considerations for Forklifts and Heavy Equipment 2.12 Chemistry of the Lead-Acid Plate Design References Chapter 3: Battery Location Design Issues 3.1 Importance of Battery Location for Early Designs 3.2 Design Issues for Later Model Vehicles 3.3 Design Issues for Components Surrounding the Battery Chapter 4: Direct and Alternating Current 4.1 Generators and Alternators 4.2 Electron Flow 4.3 Battery Ratings 4.4 Failure Mode Differences between AC and DC Electricity 4.5 Charging of a Lead-Acid Battery References Chapter 5: Lithium Batteries 5.1 Lithium Primary Batteries 5.2 Lithium-Ion Thionyl Chloride Cell 5.3 Lithium-Ion Perchlorate Manganese Oxide Cell 5.4 Lithium Tetrafluoroborate with Carbon Monofluoride Cathode 5.5 Lithium-Iron Disulfide 5.6 Lithium-Air Battery 5.7 Future Battery and Super-Capacitor Designs 5.8 Failure Characteristics and Issues References Chapter 6: Nickel-Metal Hydride Battery 6.1 Hybrid Electric Vehicles 6.1.1 The Beginnings of Hybrid Vehicles 6.1.2 Types of Hybrid Vehicles References Chapter 7: Automotive Electrical Fire Science 7.1 Automotive Fire Science Terms 7.2 A Word about Safety 7.3 FMVSS 302—Interior Flammability 7.4 Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J369 7.5 Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J1344 7.6 Fire Analysis of a Vehicle 7.6.1 Compartmentalization 7.6.2 Engine Compartment 7.7 Electrical Fire Analysis 7.8 Signs of Electrical Heat 7.8.1 Battery Plates 7.8.2 Shrunken or Exploded Remnants of Battery Lugs 7.8.3 Battery Explosion Caused by Outside Influence 7.8.4 Discoloration, Bundle De-stranding, and Fraying of Cables 7.8.5 Heavy-Duty Applications 7.8.6 Electrical Circuit Shorting into Another Circuit 7.8.7 Signs of Electrical Heat on Fusible Links and Fuses Caused by High Circuit Draw 7.8.8 Cratering on Connectors 7.8.9 Formation of Copper Chloride 7.8.10 Electrical Fire Is Not Always a Large-Order Fire Event 7.8.11 Aftermarket Accessories Not Properly Installed 7.8.12 Failure of an Electromechanical Device References Back Matter Glossary References Index About the Author