Simulation-Based Design Optimization for Enhancing Impact Resistance of Thermal Battery Case Headers Under High-Speed Collision Conditions

Modern missile, rocket, and glide bomb systems demand long-range capabilities and precision, relying on thermal batteries to sustain electronic components under high accelerations, impacts, and vibrations caused by rapidly moving projectiles. This study employed finite element method (FEM) simulations under collision conditions at 60 m/s to mitigate deformation and damage to the thermal battery header, which seals the case, protects internal components, maintains internal pressure, and houses the igniter and terminal pins. Results showed that the header lid depression and pin bending result from interior insulator compression. An increase in lid thickness reduced depression depth but significantly raised the case weight. Integrating honeycomb structures into the header lid design improved impact resistance while reducing weight. A 9 mm tall honeycomb lowered lid depression to 4.39 mm, further reduced by increasing wall thickness. Additionally, filling the honeycomb cavities with epoxy resin significantly enhanced structural performance. For example, a 9 mm tall epoxy-filled honeycomb achieved 0.74 mm depression, as epoxy increased rigidity and distributed impact energy. These findings demonstrate that epoxy-filled honeycomb structures effectively improve structural integrity while minimizing weight and deformation, offering valuable insights into optimizing thermal battery case designs.