Design of a battery pack for a Formula SAE racing car

The present thesis is the result of my work in Squadra Corse PoliTo during the 2018/19 season. The aim of this project is to describe the passages to design the battery pack for the SC19, the racing car which participated in the Formula SAE competition in the 2019’s summer. The thesis begins with an overview of the race and the team, aimed at illustrating the environment in which the design was carried out. The goals, the structure and every event of the competition are described to clarify the mission that the battery pack has to accomplish. The first part is about the target setting concerning each aspect of the battery pack. The influence of different assemblies of the car is considered, as well as the data collected in previous years and the comparison with the competitors. Moreover, the main constraints introduced by the competition rules are taken into account. In 2018 the team decided to adopt a Lithium-ion battery. This was a solution different in chemistry and shape from the previous years. The reasons why this change was confirmed in 2019 are explained. Different batteries with their configuration are then analysed. The work proceeds describing the thermal management system. It begins with the analysis of the previous season’s cooling system, followed by the optimization of individual cooling components. Track tests and bench tests representative of the working conditions are reported. The packaging of all the components belonging to the battery pack is presented. In detail, the module design, considering electrical connections and sensor positioning, is illustrated. The thesis concludes with the description of the procedures to produce the accumulator container and cover, starting from the material choice and ending with the mould design and the final handmade production.