Phase-change materials (PCMs) are a useful alternative to more traditional methods of thermal management of Li-ion batteries in electric or hybrid-electric vehicles. PCMs are materials which absorb large amounts of latent heat and undergo solid-to-liquid phase change at near-constant temperature. The goal of this thesis is to experimentally investigate the thermal properties of a novel shape-stabilized PCM/HDPE composite extruded filament. The extruded filament can then be used in a 3D printer for custom PCM/HDPE shapes. These custom PCM/HDPE shapes can be used to help reduce weight, energy consumption, and complexity of the thermal management of the ESS. The PCM used in the study is PureTemp PCM42. PCM42 is an organic-based material that melts around 42_C. Three PCM/HDPE mixtures were investigated (all percentages by mass): 80% HDPE/20% PCM (80/20), 70% HDPE/30% PCM (70/30), and 60% HDPE/40% PCM (60/40). A Filabot extruder was used to melt, mix, and extrude the PCM/HDPE composite filament. A differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was used to measure the effective heat storage capacity at the operating conditions of the ESS. A scanning electron microscope was used to visually validate the mixing and bonding of the PCM and HDPE.
","abstract_html":"<p>Phase-change materials (PCMs) are a useful alternative to more traditional methods of thermal management of Li-ion batteries in electric or hybrid-electric vehicles. PCMs are materials which absorb large amounts of latent heat and undergo solid-to-liquid phase change at near-constant temperature. The goal of this thesis is to experimentally investigate the thermal properties of a novel shape-stabilized PCM/HDPE composite extruded filament. The extruded filament can then be used in a 3D printer for custom PCM/HDPE shapes. These custom PCM/HDPE shapes can be used to help reduce weight, energy consumption, and complexity of the thermal management of the ESS. The PCM used in the study is PureTemp PCM42. PCM42 is an organic-based material that melts around 42_C. Three PCM/HDPE mixtures were investigated (all percentages by mass): 80% HDPE/20% PCM (80/20), 70% HDPE/30% PCM (70/30), and 60% HDPE/40% PCM (60/40). A Filabot extruder was used to melt, mix, and extrude the PCM/HDPE composite filament. A differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was used to measure the effective heat storage capacity at the operating conditions of the ESS. A scanning electron microscope was used to visually validate the mixing and bonding of the PCM and HDPE.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Freeman, Thomas Benjamin"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering","degree_level":"Thesis - Open Access","degree_discipline":"Mechanical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2018-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:26:28Z","subjects":["shape stabilization","PCM/HDPE","composite materials","3D printing","battery thermal management","Mechanical Engineering","Structures and Materials"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/edt/426","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Freeman, Thomas Benjamin"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["shape stabilization","PCM/HDPE","composite materials","3D printing","battery thermal management","Mechanical Engineering","Structures and Materials"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/426"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Phase-change materials (PCMs) are a useful alternative to more traditional methods of thermal management of Li-ion batteries in electric or hybrid-electric vehicles. PCMs are materials which absorb large amounts of latent heat and undergo solid-to-liquid phase change at near-constant temperature. The goal of this thesis is to experimentally investigate the thermal properties of a novel shape-stabilized PCM/HDPE composite extruded filament. The extruded filament can then be used in a 3D printer for custom PCM/HDPE shapes. These custom PCM/HDPE shapes can be used to help reduce weight, energy consumption, and complexity of the thermal management of the ESS. The PCM used in the study is PureTemp PCM42. PCM42 is an organic-based material that melts around 42_C. Three PCM/HDPE mixtures were investigated (all percentages by mass): 80% HDPE/20% PCM (80/20), 70% HDPE/30% PCM (70/30), and 60% HDPE/40% PCM (60/40). A Filabot extruder was used to melt, mix, and extrude the PCM/HDPE composite filament. A differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was used to measure the effective heat storage capacity at the operating conditions of the ESS. A scanning electron microscope was used to visually validate the mixing and bonding of the PCM and HDPE.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Shape-Stabilization of PCM/HDPE Composites with 3D-Printing Applications for Battery Thermal Management"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Freeman, Thomas Benjamin"],"dc:description.abstract":["Phase-change materials (PCMs) are a useful alternative to more traditional methods of thermal management of Li-ion batteries in electric or hybrid-electric vehicles. PCMs are materials which absorb large amounts of latent heat and undergo solid-to-liquid phase change at near-constant temperature. The goal of this thesis is to experimentally investigate the thermal properties of a novel shape-stabilized PCM/HDPE composite extruded filament. The extruded filament can then be used in a 3D printer for custom PCM/HDPE shapes. These custom PCM/HDPE shapes can be used to help reduce weight, energy consumption, and complexity of the thermal management of the ESS. The PCM used in the study is PureTemp PCM42. PCM42 is an organic-based material that melts around 42_C. Three PCM/HDPE mixtures were investigated (all percentages by mass): 80% HDPE/20% PCM (80/20), 70% HDPE/30% PCM (70/30), and 60% HDPE/40% PCM (60/40). A Filabot extruder was used to melt, mix, and extrude the PCM/HDPE composite filament. A differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was used to measure the effective heat storage capacity at the operating conditions of the ESS. A scanning electron microscope was used to visually validate the mixing and bonding of the PCM and HDPE.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/426"],"dc:subject":["shape stabilization","PCM/HDPE","composite materials","3D printing","battery thermal management","Mechanical Engineering","Structures and Materials"],"dc:title":["Shape-Stabilization of PCM/HDPE Composites with 3D-Printing Applications for Battery Thermal Management"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Mechanical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:26:28Z"}