Structural analysis of a composite battery enclosure of an electric vehicle using finite element method

The fast increase in energy demand and growing environmental problems are causing big changes in the automotive industry. Electric and hybrid vehicles stand out because they are environmentally friendly and efficient. One important engineering challenge in electric vehicles is designing battery enclosures that are safe and perform well. Battery enclosures need to protect the battery from impacts while keeping the vehicle's weight as low as possible, since the vehicle's weight directly affects energy use and driving range. In this thesis, the structural performance of aluminum and composite battery enclosures is studied in detail. The effect of fiber orientation angles in composite materials and the performance of individual parts of the enclosure are also examined. The structural performance is evaluated using five main criteria: bending stiffness, torsional stiffness, modal analysis, side impact, and bottom impact tests. Damage in composite materials is also considered. All analyses are done using Finite Element Method with ANSYS LS-DYNA software. The results show that composite materials help reduce the weight of battery enclosures a lot, while still providing strong and reliable structures. Also, fiber orientation angles affect the performance, and the properties of each enclosure part are important for the overall design.