Milestones 8 and 9 Achieved: From Digital Design to Experimental Validation

The TEMPEST Project has successfully completed two major technical achievements that advance its digital design tools and experimental verification strategy.

Milestone 8: Development and Validation of Advanced Simulation Models

As part of Milestone 8, advanced finite-element (FE) models of critical parts and demonstrators have been developed and validated against experimental results. These validated models now serve as reliable digital tools that allow the project team to virtually optimise manufacturing processes and assess component performance before physical production.

Using these simulation capabilities, the team can:

• Predict impact behaviour, vibration response, and mechanical performance under environmental degradation
• Refine structural designs to enhance performance and durability
• Significantly reduce the number of physical tests required, lowering development costs
• Support the design of safer and lighter structures

The integration of validated digital models is a key step toward accelerating design cycles and improving overall project efficiency.

Milestone 9: Comprehensive Experimental Campaign and Model Validation

Milestone 9 focused on an extensive series of experimental tests designed to evaluate material and component behaviour across a wide range of conditions. The experimental campaign included:

• Mechanical testing of the composite battery housing material in tension, compression, bending, and shear
• Impact testing using drop-tower experiments to assess resistance and failure modes
• Moisture absorption testing and correlation with property degradation
• Battery cell testing, covering electrochemical performance, thermal behaviour, and ageing
• Validation tests on sheet moulding compound (SMC) plates and assembled battery housings

These experimental activities enabled thorough evaluation of strength, stiffness, impact resistance, moisture effects, safety performance, and ageing characteristics. A major outcome was the validation of the FE simulation models with experimental data, demonstrating strong agreement between numerical predictions and physical measurements. This alignment significantly increases confidence in the digital design tools developed within the project.

The successful completion of Milestones 8 and 9 confirms that the project’s simulation and testing methodologies are effective, verified, and ready for final optimisation and industrial deployment.