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Side wall thickness needed with different materials?

trougnouf

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Aug 15, 2021
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How would one go about determining the required thickness needed for the two side walls that sandwich a set of battery cells with threaded rods and springs?
I've seen 1/2" of wood floating around, but I would rather go with something less flammable; aluminum, (stainless or galvanized) steel, or even plexiglass if it can be strong enough and cost effective.
I thought of picking 10mm aluminum, but that seems completely arbitrary and I haven't seen any discussion on this.
 
Do you require side wall? I don't have any. What do you expect from a side wall? Strength? Thermal value?

Wood and aluminum have been used here by folks building boxes, I think their thickness choice was arbitrary.

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Do you require side wall? I don't have any. What do you expect from a side wall? Strength? Thermal value?

Wood and aluminum have been used here by folks building boxes, I think their thickness choice was arbitrary.

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Maybe side wall isn't the right term, I mean the main walls that go along the long side of the batteries. They provide compression thanks to springs and threaded rods, so they have to withstand a lot of force with minimal bending.
scrn-2021-09-19-17-58-19.png eg the two gray walls in this WIP screenshot
 
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Do a search for key words and the Lt Dan bus bar group buy thread. People have used different thicknesses for these endplates. Find The Meg Build and look at the build by Cinergi.


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My signature has the link to my build "The Meg". I sold quite a few 1/4" aluminum plates for compression to several members here. I dont do it anymore, but on my next b
personal battery I will be stepping up to 3/8" thick to determine if it is worth it for less deflection.
 
My signature has the link to my build "The Meg". I sold quite a few 1/4" aluminum plates for compression to several members here. I dont do it anymore, but on my next b
personal battery I will be stepping up to 3/8" thick to determine if it is worth it for less deflection.
Thank you :) I will be going for 8 or 10 mm then.
Still curious about steel; 4mm galvanized steel is less than 1/2 the price of 8mm aluminum, but I have no idea what's its strength and it doesn't seem as widely tested.
 
Thank you :) I will be going for 8 or 10 mm then.
Still curious about steel; 4mm galvanized steel is less than 1/2 the price of 8mm aluminum, but I have no idea what's its strength and it doesn't seem as widely tested.
With what we are doing, I don't see 4mm (between 1/8" and 3/16") staying flat enough, unless you could put 2x 90* bends across from each other.
 
With what we are doing, I don't see 4mm (between 1/8" and 3/16") staying flat enough, unless you could put 2x 90* bends across from each other.
But you believe 10mm (3/8") aluminum would work in these conditions?
 
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