Samsung has released a report detailing why the Galaxy Note 7 exploded, citing battery quality and design flaws as the cause.
“There may be multiple contributing factors relating to production quality and battery design that, when combined, led to the failure of the Note 7,” said Samsung.
The battery production quality issues include missing insulation tape on tabs, bigger protrusion of welding points in tabs, and the misalignment of insulation tape.
The battery design problems include a thinner separator, which could lead to poorer protection and reduced tolerance. Higher energy density can also exacerbate the severity of a battery failure.
“The combination of missing insulation tape, sharp-edged protrusions on the tab, and thin separators all lead to a high possibility of an internal short circuit between cathode tab and anode, subsequently resulting in heating and fire.”
Samsung has since implemented a range of quality and safety processes to further enhance product safety.
These processes include multi-layer safety measures and an 8-Point Battery Safety Check.
Samsung also formed a Battery Advisory Group to ensure it maintains an objective perspective on battery safety.
While Samsung did not name the battery manufacturers, Ars Technica noted that Battery A was developed by Samsung SDI, and Battery B was from Amperex Technology.
