Research on ISC Triggering Behavior of Lithium-Ion Batteries in Bionic Underwater Vehicles Under Indentation Conditions

Structurally integrated lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in bionic underwater vehicles face increasingly complex internal short circuit (ISC) risks under mechanical abuse. In this study, a three-dimensional bidirectional mechanical–electrical–thermal coupling model is established to reconstruct the evolution from structural damage to ISC triggering in cylindrical LIBs under indentation conditions. A constitutive inversion method incorporating load, contact area, and volume evolution is proposed to calibrate the jellyroll stress–strain response for different indenter diameters. An ISC criterion based on separator thickness is then introduced, and local short-circuit paths are realized through dynamic topology updates of the distributed equivalent circuit model network. The calibrated model reproduced the experimental load response, voltage decay, temperature rise, and damage morphology. The systematic investigation into ISC behavior shows that indenter diameter governs competition among local shear, local bending, and global compression, while loading position determines structural constraint and boundary effects. Rather than corresponding to the minimum ISC load, the most hazardous condition (4 mm indenter diameter and 18 mm loading position) exists where local stress concentration and weakened structural constraints jointly promote rapid separator failure, shortening the ISC triggering time to 79.2 s. These findings provide guidance for battery safety assessment and structural protection design in underwater vehicles.