Cambridge EnerTech’s

Post-Incident Forensics & Investigations

October 25, 2019

As the energy capacity of new batteries increases, the risk of battery fires and explosions also increases. Although battery safety incidents are rare, they are a serious cause for concern. When incidents happen, court cases can follow.  It is important to understand what causes these malfunctions so that they can be prevented in the future. Scientific findings from pre- and post-investigations can help determine the cause and guide safety regulations.

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25

7:30 am Registration

8:00 Continental Breakfast Breakout Discussion Groups*

BATTERY FIRES & INVESTIGATIONS

NEW TIME: 9:15 Chairperson’s Remarks

Michael Stichter, PhD, Mechanical Engineer, Failure Analysis, ARCCA

NEW TIME: 9:20 Why Lithium-Ion Batteries Fail, And What to Do About It

Michael Stichter, PhD, Mechanical Engineer, Failure Analysis, ARCCA

In this presentation, we will be discussing the forensic investigation of battery fires – the investigation process, preservation of evidence, etc., as well as how forensic engineers determine the various causes of battery failures or fire. Numerous case studies will be included.

9:20 CANCELLED: Laser Synchronized Imaging of Explosions

Kevin McNesby, PhD, Team Leader, US Army Research Laboratory

9:50 NTSB Investigations of EV Crashes and Incidents with Battery Fires

Thomas Barth, PhD, Senior Accident Investigator and Biomechanics Engineer, Office of Highway Safety Board, National Transportation Safety Board

The National Transportation Safety Board has conducted several investigations of electric vehicle crashes and incidents that involved fires and stranded energy of the high voltage battery. The investigations focused on the emergency response, secondary response, and stranded energy. This presentation will summarize the investigations and current issues being developed for a NTSB Special Report on Electric Vehicle Battery Fire Safety.

10:10 Networking Coffee Break

10:45 Tools of the Trade: Battery Fire Forensics

Mike Eskra, CFEI, CFI, PMP, President, Eskra Technical Products, Inc.

Many times, after a fire, there may be remains of a battery that is suspect to be causal to the fire. Unfortunately, these remains are often only partial remnants of the original battery. Certain techniques, such as X-ray, CT scans, and witness reports are used to identify the device the battery was used in, and the battery, to allow for exemplar acquisition and testing. This talk will discuss techniques utilized to identify specific battery manufacturers, defects, and failure modes to assist in validating origin and cause.

11:05 Case Study Panel Discussion: Forensics of a Drone Fire

Moderator: Mike Eskra, Eskra Technical Products, Inc.

Panelists: Matthew Wagenhofer, PhD, PE, FORCON International

C.J. Flaherty, PE, CFEI, FORCON International

Paula Ralston, Research Specialist, Eskra Technical Products, Inc.

Every case has at least one Plaintiff and one Defendant. In this scenario, there was one Plaintiff, one targeted Defendant, and a secondary Defendant. What are the requirements to develop the case through reporting and subsequent depositions, trials, and/or settlements?

• Mike Eskra, Plaintiff - Gather facts, evidence, possible site exam. Test hypothesis and eliminate hypotheses that don’t work, while staying within a budget of 5% of the initial loss.
• Matthew Wagenhofer, Targeted Defendant - Looking for facts or information to disprove or weaken the Plaintiff’s case.
• C.J. Flaherty - Secondary Defendant - Looking for facts or information to disprove or weaken the Plaintiff’s case or strengthen own defense.
• Paula Ralston - Plaintiff - Defense’s first line - “It wasn’t ours”: Find solid evidence to show what burned up and what battery was involved.

12:05 pm Enjoy Lunch on Your Own

CONSUMER ELECTRONIC FORENSIC INVESTIGATIONS

2:00 Chairperson’s Remarks

Joe Nowikowski, Division Manager, Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc.

2:05 Investigation of Heat Transfer in Li-Ion Battery Pack of a Hoverboard

Ankur Jain, PhD, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at Arlington

Several recent hoverboard fires have been attributed to the Li-ion battery pack. This presentation summarizes experimental and numerical investigation of heat transfer in the battery pack. By disassembling a hoverboard, cell temperature measurements are carried out in extreme operating conditions. A novel cooling approach that uses relative air flow is demonstrated. Numerical simulations are shown to be in good agreement with measurements. These results contribute towards safer battery packs for hoverboards.

2:35 Lithium-Ion Battery Failures, Quality, Design Assessment and Root Cause Analysis

Vidyu Challa, PhD, Technical Director, ANSYS-DfR Solutions

Although battery field failures occur at statistically low rates, they are gaining increased attention due to their severe impact. Higher energy densities, the use of battery powered products closer to the body, and the growing pool of lower tier suppliers are to blame. E-cigarettes will be used as a case study to highlight how different elements of product design, life cycle and user behaviors impact failure. Other examples of battery failures including manufacturing defects, improper design, improper handling, and improper integration are demonstrated.  Techniques used for battery quality and design assessment, and root cause analysis are discussed.

3:05 Post-Incident Investigations and Forensics

Joe Nowikowski, Division Manager, Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc.

This talk will focus on a real-world investigation on recycled batteries in shipment. The methods of determining safety incidents will be discussed.

3:35 Comprehensive Collection of Li-Ion Thermal Runaway Events

 Robert L. Swaim, NTSB Engineering Investigator, National Resource Specialist, Retired

4:05 PANEL DISCUSSION: Forensic Investigations - What is More Difficult: Determining Cause or Establishing Responsibility? 

Although rare, lithium-ion battery safety incidents can happen. This panel dives into how the lessons learned from these safety incidents and subsequent litigation lead to new battery standards and regulations.

Moderator: Mary Ann Brown, Executive Director, Conference, Cambridge EnerTech

Panelists: Vidyu Challa, PhD, Technical Director, ANSYS-DfR Solutions

Ankur Jain, PhD, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at Arlington

4:45 Close of Battery Safety Summit