Numerical Analysis of Consolidation and Agglomerate Disintegration Behavior of Bimodal-Sized Particles Under Compression and Shear Application

All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries are promising candidates for next-generation batteries because of their high energy density and safety characteristics. Recently, solvent-free dry process techniques have provided promising prospects for battery processes. In the dry process technique, compressive and shear forces are actively applied to the active material (AM) and solid electrolyte (SE). Therefore, this study investigated the effects of shear and compaction on the consolidation of the powder layer and the disintegration of SE aggregates through numerical analyses using the discrete element method (DEM). Numerical analyses of the powder consolidation were performed under three conditions: compression only, compression:shear = 1:1, and compression:shear = 1:5. Additionally, the disintegration of SE aggregates was calculated under different cohesive conditions. DEM analyses demonstrated that rearrangement was promoted by applying a strong shear force with a weak compressive force. Furthermore, the strong aggregates were difficult to break owing to the shear force. This study yielded some suggestive results for understanding mixing and compression in dry processes.