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Mechanical Cell Support
ANR26650 and APR18650 Cell Support
Secure the cells in place by supporting their outside cases, not their terminal ends. The vibration induced between
the terminal ends and the rest of the case has been shown to be detrimental to the life of the cell, causing internal
and external cell damage. The inter-cell terminations must be light enough not to cause vibration-induced damage
to the cell.
AMP20 Cell Support
To operate at its peak performance and have the longest possible service life, the prismatic cell needs to be
mounted with some amount of pressure on its two broad faces. This pressure must be evenly distributed and be
compliant to the regular expansion cycles the cell experiences during cycling and over its service life. A123
performed extensive testing on the effects of the pressure on the faces of the cells on the cycle life of the cells.
Figure 7 shows that the optimum pressure on the cell’s face is between 4 and 18 psi. Cycle life of the cell can be
optimized by applying the proper pressure to the face of the cell and maintaining that throughout the life of the
cell.
Figure 7 – Effect of AMP20 cell life with respect to surface pressure
