This summer, CALCE interns took on hands-on reliability challenges in Li-ion battery testing and measurement, designing custom fixtures, refining strain sensing, and exploring accurate swelling quantification while learning how rigorous research moves from ideas to validated results.
Henry Zhou
Variable Pressure Fixture & In-House Strain Circuits
Henry designed and fabricated a polycarbonate, spring-loaded fixture to apply controlled pressure (30–90 kPa) to Li-ion cells, converting target pressures to precise spring displacements and turns on threaded rods. He also progressed an in-house quarter-bridge strain circuit (from breadboard → soldered PCB) to reduce noise and support future multiplexed testing, under the guidance of Sahithi Maddipatla and Prof. Michael Pecht.
Aashi Moola
Quantifying Swelling via Fluids & Buoyancy
Aashi explored more accurate ways to measure Li-ion pouch-cell swelling during float charge. After evaluating overflow volume-displacement fluids (and their evaporation rates), she recommended a shift toward a buoyancy-force method for greater sensitivity to small volume changes and outlined a careful suspension and precision-balance setup to do it.
Zeyad Jazouli
Thermal Strain Characterization on Cylindrical Cells
Zeyad investigated apparent thermal strain in strain-gauged cylindrical cells, highlighting coefficient-of-thermal-expansion mismatches and the need to characterize hoop vs. axial behavior. He ran TMA on empty vs. actual cans, mounted gauges, and performed oven tests to separate thermal from mechanical effects, informing better compensation strategies for future safety diagnostics.
Mentor: Sahithi Maddipatla,
Advisor: Prof. Michael Pecht.
These projects strengthened CALCE’s battery safety research and gave our interns practical experience in experimental design, data analysis, and collaborative research workflows.
For more information about the research on battery reliability and safety, contact Prof. Michael Pecht.
For opportunities at CALCE, contact Dr. Diganta Das.
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