Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Northwestern University

The Boeing Company

Ford Motor Company Limited

University of Michigan

James Maurice Boileau

Clifford E Maki

Larry Dean Elie

Antony Schepak

Timothy George Beyer

Hamed Ghaednia

David C Dunand

Arup Kumar Gangopadhyay

Bita Ghaffari

David N Seidman

Rajaram Subramanian

Yuri Anatoly Karpenko

Shamsuddin A Syed

Peter Kowalow

J Chris Oakwood

Laura Dammeyer

Steven Swisher

Patrick Daniel Maguire

Saravanan Paramasivam

Amanda Kay Freis

Timothy Jay Potter

Brian Joseph Robert

S George Luckey, Jr

Suriyaprakash Ayyangar Janarthanam

James Ervin

Aindrea McKelvey Campbell

Thomas Edward Smith

Christopher Shane Huskamp

Dave Moschet

Mohammadreza Eftekhari

Nia R Harrison

Kanchana Perumalla

Thomas P Brackett, Iii

Mark W Thibault

Anthony De Luca

Christopher Booth-Morrison

Matthew John Zaluzec

Rick L Williams

David Alan Stephenson

Jeffrey Eliot Chottiner

Ihab Grace

Pravansu Sekhar Mohanty

Mathew Hintzen

Charles K Evans

Robert Gordon Rentschler

David Garrett Coffman

David C Allen

Paul George Sanders

Bryan McKeough

Vikram Varadarrajan

Battery pack designs are provided for use in electrified vehicles. Exemplary battery packs may include a battery array that includes one or more interconnected array frames. A split thermal fin may be held within the one or more array frames. The proposed designs of the split thermal fin enable a reduction of the amount of thermal interface material required between the thermal fin and a support structure (e.g., a heat exchanger plate) of the battery pack.

Battery array frames with split thermal fin designs for reducing thermal interface material usage

Battery pack designs for use in electrified vehicles may include a polymer-based enclosure having features for sealing external joints, retaining components inside the battery pack, securing electrical and coolant lines to the polymer-based enclosure, etc. The proposed designs reduce the number of overall parts in assembly, such as fasteners and brackets, and simplify the overall battery pack manufacturing and assembly processes.

Electrified vehicle battery packs with polymer-based enclosures

A method of forming an aluminum alloy component including melting and solidifying an aluminum alloy, solution treating the aluminum alloy, and heat treating the aluminum alloy. The aluminum alloy includes scandium, zirconium, erbium, silicon, at least one of molybdenum and tungsten, manganese and the balance aluminum and incidental impurities. The concentration of the alloying elements, in atom %, is greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 0.15 scandium, greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 0.35 zirconium, greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 0.15 erbium, greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 0.2 silicon, greater than 0.0 and less or equal to 0.75 molybdenum when included, greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 0.35 tungsten when included.

High temperature, creep-resistant aluminum alloy microalloyed with manganese, molybdenum and tungsten

This disclosure details exemplary battery pack designs for use in electrified vehicles. Exemplary battery packs may include a battery array that includes one or more interconnected array frames. A split thermal fin may be held within the one or more array frames. The proposed designs of the split thermal fin enable a reduction of the amount of thermal interface material required between the thermal fin and a support structure (e.g., a heat exchanger plate) of the battery pack.

A battery assembly includes, among other things, an enclosure having a floor, and battery cell frames disposed along an axis within the enclosure. Each of the battery cell frames includes a frame foot that projects laterally outward. An endplate is at an axial end of the battery cell frames. The endplate includes an endplate retention flange that projects laterally outward to laterally overlap with a portion of the retention member. A retention member extends axially alongside the battery cell frames. The retention member includes a lip that projects laterally inward across the frame feet such that the frame feet are held between the lip and the floor. An axial end portion of the retention member is secured directly to the endplate retention flange.

Lipped retention member for retaining a battery array and retention method using lipped retention member

An engine block formed according to a method that includes forming an insert, coating the insert with a bond material, placing the insert within a casting mold or die, purging the casting mold or die with an inert gas, filling the casting mold or die with molten metal to encapsulate the insert, diffusion bonding the molten metal to the insert to form a diffusion bonded insert, placing the diffusion bonded insert within a cavity of a secondary casting mold or die, filling the secondary casting mold or die with molten metal to form an engine block composite casting assembly, and casting and heat treating the engine block composite casting assembly is provided. The insert can be free of serrations for mechanical coupling between the insert and the engine block.

Aluminum casting design with alloy set cores for improved intermetallic bond strength

A high temperature creep-resistant aluminum alloy microalloyed with manganese and molybdenum and/or tungsten is provided. The aluminum alloy includes scandium, zirconium, erbium, silicon, at least one of molybdenum and tungsten, manganese and the balance aluminum and incidental impurities. The concentration of the alloying elements, in atom %, is greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 0.15 scandium, greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 0.35 zirconium, greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 0.15 erbium, greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 0.2 silicon, greater than 0.0 and less or equal to 0.75 molybdenum when included, greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 0.35 tungsten when included, and greater than 0.0 and less than or equal to 1.5 manganese. And the total concentration of Zr+Er+Sc is greater than or equal to 0.1.

Methods and systems are provided for filling surface pores of a cylinder inner surface coating with one or more fill materials to provide desired material and performance properties. In one example, a cylinder for an engine includes an inner surface including a coating having a plurality of surface pores, at least a portion of the plurality of surface pores filled with one or more fill materials, the one or more fill materials configured to decrease friction, increase tribofilm formation, adjust heat transfer, decrease material deposit, and/or decrease run-in duration.

Systems and methods for a cylinder bore coating fill material

A method of forming an assembly is provided. The method includes forming an insert, coating the insert with a bond material and placing the insert within a casting mold or die. The casting mold or die is purged with an inert gas and the casting mold or die is filled with molten metal to encapsulate the insert. The encapsulated insert is diffusion bonded to the molten metal to form a diffusion bonded insert, which is placed within a cavity of a secondary casting mold or die. The secondary casting mold or die is filled with molten metal to form a composite casting assembly. After or during the casting, the composite casting assembly is heat treated. In another method of the present disclosure, the insert includes ferrous alloys, nickel-based alloys, super alloys, and nonferrous alloys.

Engine blocks and methods of forming the same are disclosed. The engine block may comprise a body including at least one cylindrical engine bore wall having a longitudinal axis and including a coating extending along the longitudinal axis and having a coating thickness. The coating may have a middle region and first and second end regions, and a plurality of pores may be dispersed within the coating thickness. The middle region may have a different average porosity than one or both of the end regions. The method may include spraying a first porosity coating in a middle longitudinal region of the bore and spraying a second porosity coating in one or more end regions of the bore. The first porosity may be greater than the second porosity and the first and second porosities may be formed during the spraying steps. The pores may act as wells for lubricant.

Cylinder bore having variable coating

A vehicle traction battery assembly including a battery cell, a busbar, and a thermal spray is provided. The battery cell may include a terminal having an angled taper upper portion extending therefrom. The busbar may define a through-hole having a taper defining an angle substantially opposite of the angled taper upper portion such that a cavity is defined therebetween when the terminal extends through the through-hole. The thermal spray may be deposited within the cavity to secure the busbar to the terminal. The thermal spray may be formed from a metallic powder selected to include particles that deform and connect when accelerated to a speed of approximately 500 mph or more to join the particles and form a bond securing the terminal to the busbar. The particles of the metallic powder may be iron, copper, aluminum, nickel, iron, or magnesium.

Busbar interconnect assembly for vehicle traction battery

A battery pack includes a pouch cell having electrode tabs extending therefrom, each of the tabs defining a plurality of perforations, a busbar including a plurality of raised portions in contact with and protruding through the perforations, and an agglomeration of mechanically bound solid metal particles overlaying the raised portions to mechanically bind and electrically connect the tabs to the busbar.

Electrical interconnects for battery cells

A wire feed control system includes an anti-twist mechanism and a controller programmed to operate the anti-twist mechanism, responsive to a measured degree of twist of a wire on a trajectory between a feed for the wire and a plasma transfer wire arc (PTWA) torch, to maintain the degree of twist within a predetermined range defined by natural rotation introduced to the wire by the PTWA torch.

Plasma transfer wire arc wire feed control system

Engine blocks and methods of forming the same are disclosed. The engine block may comprise a body including at least one cylindrical engine bore wall having a longitudinal axis and including a coating extending along the longitudinal axis and having a coating thickness. The coating may have a middle region and first and second end regions, and a plurality of pores may be dispersed within the coating thickness. The middle region may have a different average porosity than one or both of the end regions. The method may include spraying a first porosity coating in a middle longitudinal region of the bore and spraying a second porosity coating in one or more end regions of the bore. The first porosity may be greater than the second porosity and the first and second porosities may be formed during the spraying steps. The pores may act wells for lubricant.

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Novi, MI, United States of America

James Maurice Boileau