Design of a multifunctional spacecraft structure using plastic lithium-ion batteries

The technology of multifunctional structures, when applied to spacecraft batteries, allows mass and volume to be saved through the removal of parasitic components of the battery. Electrochemical cells, in this case commercially available cells of the plastic lithium-ion type, may be incorporated directly into structural sandwich panels, removing the need for a secondary structure (i.e. the battery enclosure and its interface) to mount the cells. Placing the cells within the structure also removes them from the bus, reducing its volume and thus further reducing overall mass. Notwithstanding the relatively low mechanical properties exhibited by the batteries that have been investigated during our work, this paper shall demonstrate how, by optimizing the layout of the cells within a panel, adequate structural performance may be maintained. Copyright © 2008 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc