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Preventing battery damage from road debris
- Thread starter wcalvin
- Start date
I’d prefer a future e-car solution as mentioned in Air Suspension - Page 2 post #39 by Robert.Boston
Bose suspension http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/0410_bose_suspension/
So if you must collide with the object in the road the car will try to get up and out of the way (a small object, unlike a lane-wide bar, may be too small for this version of the system, but nothing saying Tesla couldn’t do better).
Bose suspension http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/0410_bose_suspension/
So if you must collide with the object in the road the car will try to get up and out of the way (a small object, unlike a lane-wide bar, may be too small for this version of the system, but nothing saying Tesla couldn’t do better).
Raffy.Roma
Rome (Italy)
This is very interesting. In fact the Magic Body Control shown in the above mentioned link could work to prevent debris hitting the battery pack this way. The system should be slightly modified in order to detect also debris and instantly raise the car when a debris were detected. This way not only we would have a more comfortable car but also a safer car.
Only problem is that I don't know if such a system could be fast enough to raise the car to a safe height at speeds of 130 km/h.
Raffy.Roma
Rome (Italy)
Maybe the system could be adjusted to detect debris at bigger distances with increasing speed? If the system was integrated with the ACC it could both keep a safe distance from the car ahead of you and detect debris at distances in time to allow the car to be raised properly.
mitch672
Active Member
Maybe it could deploy a "cowcatcher" from under the frunk (similar to what's on the front of a locomotive), if it detects an object and makes a warning sound/light "brace for impact". Really what's needed is a fisher snowplow mounted on the front, of course they weigh #900, not to mention the aerodynamic drag...
Gizmotoy
Active Member
Instead of storage, make the frunk like a giant Roomba? :biggrin:
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huntjo
Member
And how about capture using magnetics (permanent or electromaget triggered by debris detection, object detection, or something similar)? Of course, debris that are non magnetic material would have to managed by other means. The Frunk has the space for something and is of course forward the battery.
Cottonwood
Roadster#433, Model S#S37
There is no way there would be a fast enough reaction time with the onboard air pump that takes close to a minute to change positions. However if you had something like a little Nitrogen bottle loaded with 1,000 PSI N2 and sized to boost the car up quickly to just the right height, you might be able to do it...:wink:
This is AMAZING! This is why I hate looking at these techy upgrades on cars, because they become must haves for me
JRP3
Hyperactive Member
I think a front air dam that's slightly lower than the pack would be a good idea. Even in the case of a leverage event an object would probably be levered up under the frunk and not into the pack, unless it was an extremely long "L" shape. If something gets caught and dragged that's still better than it striking the pack, and I'm quite sure such an event would cause the driver to pull over quickly. Beyond that I think another layer of protection for the pack itself might be a good idea. From the under body picture you can see rails sticking down a bit and running the length of the pack. These would be a possible place to attach another layer of protection that could absorb and distribute impact energy, especially near the front of the pack.
I mentioned this on ABG. This picture shows the internals in front of the battery pack. The piece that covers this is a plastic aerodynamic covering. It is not metal and could easily be where the metal objects have penetrated upwards into the battery pack. Once penetrating this weak plastic with forward momentum it would drive the object with force into the front of the pack. This might not be what actually happened but it is possible that this is a weak point for penetration. We can talk about how strong the shielding is on the actual pack all day long but this plastic comes before the pack and will be the first thing an object will hit when travelling at speeds.
This would also be an easy PR fix for the company to simply change this one piece from plastic to a strong metal.
Exactly what I am proposing--at least, for objects taller than the clearance at the rear of the battery back. The front cover plate (below the frunk) behind the bumper would be impaled instead, provided the ridge is well forward, e.g., junction with front bumper.
Pushing it aside in classical cowcatcher manner is too hazardous because of the blowout possibility.
Ok, so I just got the scoop on the Leaf battery enclosure from a fellow member over at My Nissan Leaf. Here is the schematic:
It appears to be steel reinforced. But what is to prevent an object from impaling the pack in between those steel bars? I see nothing that resembles a ballistic shield here.
It appears to be steel reinforced. But what is to prevent an object from impaling the pack in between those steel bars? I see nothing that resembles a ballistic shield here.
Strike zone for trailer hitch if use leading edge
The proposed leading edge is as high above the road as the rear of the battery at high speed. A trailer hitch that could pole-vault up and puncture the battery will instead hit the leading edge first (blue strip) and lever up into that front protective cover which screws to the front bumper.
The estimated strike zone is transparent, and most of it has room for the hitch to penetrate and be captured in the protective cover or in the below-the-frunk machinery.
The proposed leading edge is as high above the road as the rear of the battery at high speed. A trailer hitch that could pole-vault up and puncture the battery will instead hit the leading edge first (blue strip) and lever up into that front protective cover which screws to the front bumper.
The estimated strike zone is transparent, and most of it has room for the hitch to penetrate and be captured in the protective cover or in the below-the-frunk machinery.
Why capture it when you can disintegrate it with a laser?
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To heck with capturing. "Force push" it away Jedi style.
glhs272
Unnamed plug faced villian
Sort of a re-post, but maybe some changes to the pack armor to allow it to take more abuse. See turbofan blade out testing. This stuff has to be light to fly on an airplane. Interesting info in this article: http://imechanica.org/files/1-Jet engine fan blade containment using an alternate geometry.pdf
Edit: I am thinking that a softwall system behind the armor plate may help prevent debris penetration. Also I say "Interesting info" for boring engineering types like me.
Edit: I am thinking that a softwall system behind the armor plate may help prevent debris penetration. Also I say "Interesting info" for boring engineering types like me.
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