Early Warning for Thermal Runaway in Lithium-Ion Batteries during Various Charging Rates: Insights from Expansion Force Analysis

Thermal runaway introduces a significant challenge in the widespread application of lithium-ion batteries, necessitating advanced early-warning technologies to ensure safety, particularly during charging. Only monitoring the temperature and voltage limit the performance of diagnostic algorithms. The expansion behavior of batteries, which is linked to their operating status, offers a vital indicator of safety. In this study, the evolution of multidimensional signals during overcharging experiments at different current rates is comprehensively investigated. The result shows that the abnormal expansion force can be detected at temperatures as low as 35.4 °C, which achieves an early warning signal 11 min earlier than the onset of battery thermal runaway. The effect of charging rate on battery safety is comprehensively analyzed, showing that the time interval between the warning signal of the expansion force and temperature increases steadily from 151 s to 682 s as the charging rate decreases. However, the charging rate hardly affects the stage of charge boundary of venting, which is around ± 118 %. These insights are crucial for understanding early warning mechanisms in overcharged batteries, offering valuable guidance for enhancing the safety of electric vehicles and energy storage systems. •Force signal offers early warning 682 s before battery thermal runaway.•Abnormal expansion force can be detected at a minimum temperature of 35.4 °C.•Effect of charging rate on battery safety is comprehensively analyzed.•Charging rate hardly affects stage of charge boundary of venting.•Force signal can be utilized as an overcharge warning indicator at high rates.