Test program, employing empirical, statistical and physical methods, determines service life and failure probabilities of electrochemical cells and batteries, and is applicable to testing mechanical, electrical, and chemical devices. Data obtained aids long-term performance prediction of battery or cell

Mccallum, J.

Thomas, R. E.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

September 1971
	 Brief 71-10348 
.
	
NASA TECH BRIEF 
Goddard Space Flight Center 
NASA Tech Briefs announce new technology derived from the U.S. space program. They are issued to encourage 
commercial application. Tech Briefs are available on a subscription basis from the National Technical Information 
Service, Springfield; Virginia 22151. Requests for individual copies or questions relating to the Tech Brief program may 
be directed to the Technology Utilization Office, NASA, Code KT, Washington, D.C. 20546. 
Accelerated Battery-Life Testing: A Concept 
A proposed accelerated test program, employing 
empirical, statistical, and physical models, could 
determine the service life and failure probabilities 
of electrochemical cells and batteries, and would be 
applicable to the testing of a variety of mechanical, 
electrical, and chemical devices. The objective would 
be to obtain, in a short period of time, data useful 
for predicting the long-term performance of a battery 
or cell. 
In the design of an ideal accelerated battery-life 
test, a statistically significant number of units 
(approximately 300) would be required for a test 
involving five levels each of three parameters: 
temperature, voltage, and pressure gradients. The 
data would be analyzed in terms of a proposed 
quality standard, which would be numerically 
the inverse of observed cell degradation within a 
given duty cycle. Empirical analysis methods would 
be employed to search for failure indicators; statis-
tical methods, to assess statistical validity and 
to predict functional failures during testing; and 
physical methods based on stress-strain relationships, 
to determine the mechanisms causing cell degrada-
tion with time. 
Data processing equipment enabling maximum 
flexibility in acquiring, handling, and reporting 
test data would be desirable. On-line monitoring 
would be needed for empirical surveillance during 
testing; and off-line stored data would be suitable 
for statistical and physical analyses. 
A combination of destructive and nondestructive
tests would be performed. The destructive tests 
would not be limited only to those cells which have 
failed under specific stresses, but would also include 
periodic, deliberate destruction of good cells in 
order to determine their conditions after exposure 
to specified stress levels. This procedure would allow 
the early detection of probable failure causes. 
Note: 
The following documentation may be obtained 
from:
National Technical Information Service 
Springfield, Virginia 22151 
Single document price $3.00 
(or microfiche $0.95) 
Reference: 
NASA-CR-97935 (N69-13454), Survey of 
Testing Methods Applicable to Space Bat-
tery Evaluation 
NASA-CR-1071 14 (N70-12478), Ideal 
Approaches Towards Accelerated Tests and 
Analysis of Data 
Patent status: 
No patent action is contemplated by NASA. 
Source: R. E. Thomas and J. McCallum of

Columbus Laboratories 
Battelle Memorial Institute

under contract to

Goddard Space Flight Center

(GSC- l 1085) 
Category 06 
This documett was prepared under the sponsorship of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States 
Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United States
Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the 
information contained in this document, or warrants that such use 
will be free from privately owned rights.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19710000346 2020-03-17T02:28:14+00:00Z


Accelerated battery-life testing - A concept

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