Report: immense pressure on its tightly packed battery caused the Note 7 fires

[midian182]

It’s been over three months since Samsung issued the first official Galaxy Note 7 recall, but the company still hasn’t revealed what caused the handsets’ battery to overheat and go up in flames. However, thanks to a third-party report, we may finally have solved the mystery once and for all.

A group of hardware engineers with manufacturing technology company Instrumental took apart one of the few Note 7s still floating around to get to the bottom of the issue. They discovered that the explosive nature of the phone was due to a "fundamental problem with the design,” concluding that Samsung must have suspected this “super aggressive" design was a risk, but went ahead with it anyway as the company wanted an edge over its competitors.

During the first recall, Samsung blamed the problem on a faulty battery. Not long after, the company permanently ended production of the Note 7 and recalled the replacement handsets after they also started overheating and catching fire.

"If it was only a battery part issue and could have been salvaged by a re-spin of the battery, why cancel the product line and cede several quarters of revenue to competitors?” asked Instrumental’s Anna Shedletsky.

It seems the issue wasn’t to do with the battery itself, but the way it had been jammed inside the casing. It was so tightly packed that pressure from natural swelling and stress placed on the Note 7 body was damaging the battery’s separator layers that keep the positive and negative layers apart.

“That pressure could be enough to squeeze the thin polymer separator to a point where the positive and negative layers can touch, causing the battery to explode,” writes Shedletsky.

The report notes that battery swell requires there to be a ceiling above a battery, roughly equivalent to 10 percent of its size to allow expansion into the space. From that equation, the Note 7 should have had a 0.5mm ceiling; instead, it had none.

So why did Samsung design the Note 7 this way? Simply because it wanted to make a smartphone that was super thin and sleek while being incredibly powerful with a long battery life. It appears the company just pushed too hard at the boundaries of what was possible without compromising users’ safety. Every industry needs some risky innovation but, as Samsung will tell you, when it all goes wrong you can lose your customers' trust and be left with a $20 billion bill.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/67280-report-immense-pressure-tightly-packed-battery-caused-note.html

 

[fluffydroid]

Nice report. I gave up on Samsung phones years ago due to poor QA, it is useful to get detailed info on what went wrong.

 

[Kibaruk]

It makes me think a bit on this, if the issue was only due to tightly packed battery, they could've developed a second one with enough "roof" to work and a bit less capacity, yet they chose to kill it. Logically speaking, sounds too easy to fix to had been just that. Unless giving it that room meant to cripple it badly. I don't know.

Nice report. I gave up on Samsung phones years ago due to poor QA, it is useful to get detailed info on what went wrong.

I don't know about quitting on Samsung phones, I used to be an LG lover, also a big Motorola (The Moto E-G line) promoter for everyone who just needs a phone with nifty things, then my company -tried stuffing an iPhone down my throat... yeah right!- gave me a Samsung S6 which I've absolutely loved so far.

 

[fluffydroid]

I don't know about quitting on Samsung phones, I used to be an LG lover, also a big Motorola (The Moto E-G line) promoter for everyone who just needs a phone with nifty things, then my company -tried stuffing an iPhone down my throat... yeah right!- gave me a Samsung S6 which I've absolutely loved so far.

I had a Samsung Droid Charge, it locked up on me several times while using GPS. Driving to a client location, this made me late for appointment. Then the lock screen for pin entry got stuck on landscape orientation, making it impossible to unlock phone since some numbers were off screen. Then I had a Galaxy S3 which was better but lagged from Touchwiz, plus I did not like the added Samsung apps/bloat. I have had QA problems with LG devices as well (e.g., LG G4 bootloop), so probably trying a different Android manufacturer next time

 

[Trillionsin]

Nice report. I gave up on Samsung phones years ago due to poor QA, it is useful to get detailed info on what went wrong.

\

I've had good luck with Samsung phones. Starting with Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy S2, Note 2, Note 3, Note 4, and Note 5. I sold several of these after I was done with them. My mother still has my Note 2, my GF with my Note 4, and I still have my Note 5.

Sure you just had back luck.

I must add, it is nice to hear what is going on, even if not directly from Samsung. If Samsung can verify this, this would be great. If they are just trying to give us more BANG for our bucks. hehehehe. They could have just told us. I will surely be buying their next in the Note series... of course, a couple months after initial release. lol They wont be losing me as a customer just yet.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

And Samsung just ditched their lucrative SDI battery division... To pioneer, big risks are involved and kudos to to them for not chickening out of trying. If it all succeeded they would've been heros, everybody was fawning and drooling over the N7 until things went pear shaped, but it also looks like Sammy also made some very questionable and unethical business decisions along the way and now they're almost zeros. I hope they can recover and put everything behind them. Personally, I've had nothing but good service, dependability and durability from all the products I've ever bought bearing their name, and I've bought a lot, not just their mobile stuff either.

 

[Capaill]

My LG G4 is still going strong, no major problems. Sometimes the tap-to-unlock feature doesn't work and I have to use the power button on the back but that's it.
I have encouraged parents and relatives to use Samsung phones and tablets and they have had no problems with them. However I don't think I'd recommend purchasing a Samsung washing machine any time soon

 

[Phr3d]

As referred earlier, placing a new back on the phone, resulting in a Whopping sub millimeter thickness increase seems like a relatively Easy fix. My un-technical-background neurons have trouble with this conclusion.

 

[Kibaruk]

As referred earlier, placing a new back on the phone, resulting in a Whopping sub millimeter thickness increase seems like a relatively Easy fix. My un-technical-background neurons have trouble with this conclusion.

Same here, or make a new battery slightly slimmer. Which the logical part of my brain has issues with killing 20+ billions.

 

[Evernessince]

What a way to blow 20 billion. They could have increased the phone size and no one but the reviewers and hobbyists would have noticed. Not that even all of them would care either.

 

[HyperPete]

I don't need the bleeding edge. My Note 3 still serves me well. The battery does not last quite as long after 3 years, but I'll replace that for $10 and be good to go for another year or two.

What do I need a new one for? What will the new model(s) do that my Note 3 won't do?

 

[Jibberish18]

Let this be a lesson to other companies who need their phones to be super uber ultra thin. It's okay to leave them a bit thicker. I doubt anyone will mind....especially when they can feel safe putting it in their pocket or nightstand or car or garage or.....

 

[Bigtruckseries]

And the funny thing is that this never would have happened if they'd stuck to their "removable battery", "removable sd card" strategy which worked for them all this time till the 6-series.

That's what you get for trying to copy Apple's strategies.

And the funny thing is: your entire consumer base was screaming at you not to do it.

and you did...

Burn.

 

[Jaxonb]

So essentially they made what is known as a binary explosive.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

If this is true... a Samsung engineer was willing to risk the lives of their customers for half a millimeter? 50 micrometers.... Wow. This whole thin phone thing is stupid. Most people go put a fat protective case on the thing anyway. Seems a pointless endeavor you ask me. But then again, I like a big chassis, and I cannot lie.

 

[lazer]

It makes me think a bit on this, if the issue was only due to tightly packed battery, they could've developed a second one with enough "roof" to work and a bit less capacity, yet they chose to kill it. Logically speaking, sounds too easy to fix to had been just that. Unless giving it that room meant to cripple it badly. I don't know.

I thought about this too.

1. do they mean the battery compartment was to cramped or
2. the battery itself was sealed in a cramped manner.

I think they mean the second, so they really should have re-designed the batter for a tad less and save billions, but we are only guessing/

 

[avoidz]

As referred earlier, placing a new back on the phone, resulting in a Whopping sub millimeter thickness increase seems like a relatively Easy fix. My un-technical-background neurons have trouble with this conclusion.

The report mentions the machined frame that encloses the battery also doesn't have enough clearance around it to allow for expansion. So unfortunately it's not just a matter of replacing the back cover.

 

[Emexrulsier]

So even though it was only 0.000000000001% of all the note phones they made that set on fire they blame it on a design flaw that 100% the devices have ...

I wouldn't be suprised if the small number of devices that did set on fire were sabataged by a competitor. Just think of LG, or HTC or even Apple could make it look like Samsung devices are unsafe so it sends customers their way...

Would explain why samsung were never able to find the true cause of the fault, probably because non ever existed.

You tell me how many of you lot would tell a company like Sony to go bollox if they offered you as little as 100k and an NDA in return for you going to the media with a burnt out phone..

 

[yukka]

Nice report. I gave up on Samsung phones years ago due to poor QA, it is useful to get detailed info on what went wrong.

\

I've had good luck with Samsung phones. Starting with Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy S2, Note 2, Note 3, Note 4, and Note 5. I sold several of these after I was done with them. My mother still has my Note 2, my GF with my Note 4, and I still have my Note 5.

Sure you just had back luck.

I must add, it is nice to hear what is going on, even if not directly from Samsung. If Samsung can verify this, this would be great. If they are just trying to give us more BANG for our bucks. hehehehe. They could have just told us. I will surely be buying their next in the Note series... of course, a couple months after initial release. lol They wont be losing me as a customer just yet.

I have an iPhone 5s but my wife loves her Galaxy 7 Edge.

 

[Bigtruckseries]

Nice report. I gave up on Samsung phones years ago due to poor QA, it is useful to get detailed info on what went wrong.

\

I've had good luck with Samsung phones. Starting with Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy S2, Note 2, Note 3, Note 4, and Note 5. I sold several of these after I was done with them. My mother still has my Note 2, my GF with my Note 4, and I still have my Note 5.

Sure you just had back luck.

I must add, it is nice to hear what is going on, even if not directly from Samsung. If Samsung can verify this, this would be great. If they are just trying to give us more BANG for our bucks. hehehehe. They could have just told us. I will surely be buying their next in the Note series... of course, a couple months after initial release. lol They wont be losing me as a customer just yet.

I have an iPhone 5s but my wife loves her Galaxy 7 Edge.

Did you just compare a brand-new-Samsung to a 3 year old iPhone?

Why is it no one wants to compare a NEW galaxy to a NEW iPhone?

Because on Youtube, the tests (scientific and real-world) show that the iPhone 6s blows the Samsung Note 7 out of the water and the iPhone 7 Plus completely molests it and then denies paternity.

 

[charles scuilla]

Looks like the fire issues analysis is spot-on for the early fires. However the report does not address other issues with the design of the phone and battery interface. I think that Samsung knew about the other issues, and it is for this reason that they decided to withdraw the Note 7 from the marketplace.

 

[Jaxonb]

So even though it was only 0.000000000001% of all the note phones they made that set on fire they blame it on a design flaw that 100% the devices have ...

I wouldn't be suprised if the small number of devices that did set on fire were sabataged by a competitor. Just think of LG, or HTC or even Apple could make it look like Samsung devices are unsafe so it sends customers their way....

Yes, the numbers are pretty low, but does that really matter when this happens?
Replacement Galaxy Note 7 catches fire on Southwest plane
Luckily it occurred upon boarding.

And sorry, but when did Sony, or Apple for that matter, ever give away anything, even a BetaMax? I can hear it now, "If you call the press and tell them, we will happily give you this great video recorder . . ."

 

[yukka]

Did you just compare a brand-new-Samsung to a 3 year old iPhone?

Why is it no one wants to compare a NEW galaxy to a NEW iPhone?

Because on Youtube, the tests (scientific and real-world) show that the iPhone 6s blows the Samsung Note 7 out of the water and the iPhone 7 Plus completely molests it and then denies paternity.

If you are referring to me, I wasn't comparing the phones. I was just saying that I have an Apple and she likes her Samsung. I like it too but its too big for me. I will probably get a 5SE when I am done with the 5s. I like the form factor.