Concepts for integrating electrical energy storage into CFRP laminate structures for aeronautic applications

The CleanSky2 THT project SOLIFLY is developing further structural batteries for aeronautical applications. This paper presents the concepts of structural integration and the methodology to evaluate the impact of structural battery integration on the mechanical properties of CFRP solid laminates considering the size and shape of the structural battery insert as well as its location through the laminate thickness. A fully parameterised, computationally efficient numerical strategy for finite element simulation has been implemented to evaluate the mechanical properties and, for the first time, the onset of matrix damage as the cell geometry and integration location are varied. The first mechanical characterisation data of SB cell components and cell prototypes were obtained thanks to multi-instrumented tensile tests using digital image correlation and acoustic emission. An initial assessment of the advantages and trade-offs of the SB integration concepts with respect to functionally separated components is discussed.