Like a phone exploding. What can explode in a modern phone? Do smartphones from other manufacturers burn?

The phone itself will never explode; the battery powering it, which is now most often a lithium ion battery, can explode.

The number of cases of explosions of gadgets containing such batteries has increased in recent years so much that lithium-ion and simple lithium batteries have been recognized as dangerous cargo, and since the beginning of 2016 the International Civil Aviation Organization has banned the transport of such batteries in cargo. new compartments of passenger aircraft. At the same time, gadget batteries can be carried with you in the cabin, however, they must meet certain conditions: have a lithium content of up to two grams and a power of no more than 100 W/hour.

How does this happen?

Canadian scientists from the CLS company wondered what happens inside the battery at the time of the explosion? They were able to look inside the battery and published their observations in the Journal of the Electrical Engineering Society in Canada. It turned out that everything happens due to a short circuit inside the power source: the lithium anode (positive electrode of the battery) reacts with the electrolyte. The battery begins to heat up, the material from which the cathode is made (negative electrode) is connected to the process, and after the battery warms up to two hundred degrees, a sharp release of oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases occurs. The battery is swelling. Often the matter is limited to this, but in some cases the process goes further: the oxygen ignites due to temperature, and a small explosion occurs. This is dangerous for humans, primarily due to burns and minor injuries, and for the environment - due to fire. There have been cases when cars and furniture in apartments burned due to a telephone explosion. Eyewitnesses say that the phones not only burn, but also “boil with chemicals” and can damage other devices or wires that are nearby. But why do they explode?

Charger

Scientists from the Institute of Solid State Chemistry of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk) believe that an explosion of a lithium-ion battery can occur for several reasons, including due to the charger.

The battery may be damaged if you use the wrong charger when charging your phone. Various manufacturers Battery electrodes are made from different materials and their charging speed is different. Some batteries can withstand charging for increased speed, others, alas, do not. If you connect the battery to an outlet using a more powerful “charger,” its partial destruction may occur: with a higher current, the inappropriate material heats up and the battery fails. This may not appear outwardly, but later the battery explodes.

Chip failure

Another reason is the failure of the device, which is required to monitor the charge level on the gadget. This is a tiny chip that monitors the charge level and prevents the battery from exceeding it: if it is exceeded, it simply turns it off. It will do the same if the phone overheats. But if the chip fails, expect trouble.

Mechanical damage to the battery

Researchers have concluded that most often phones or smartphones explode due to mechanical failure batteries. A breakdown can happen unnoticed - you dropped the battery on the floor while disassembling the device, or your child “played” with it. To damage the integrity of the battery inside, just try to bend it - and failure is guaranteed. According to statistics, several smartphones caught fire after their owners got into an accident or even simply fell off a bicycle. There is a known case when a smartphone caught fire in the cabin of an airplane: the owner dropped it on the floor in the aisle and stepped on it.

Canadian scientists also warn about damage: during experiments they saw that the destruction of the battery begins from those places where there was even the slightest violation of the integrity of the electrodes.

Manufacturing defect

Most often, consumers do not know where, who, or at which factory exactly the batteries that are used in gadgets are made, and the manufacturer sometimes tries to save money and buys cheap products. Tiny damage caused by an incompetent worker, a violation of technology, small particles of metal or other components that get into the electrolyte - all this can cause an emergency.

How to avoid this?

The measures are simple: you only need to use Charger, which comes with the phone, handle the battery carefully, do not drop the phone, pay attention to the charging speed: if it suddenly speeds up, it means the battery is failing.

You need to pay attention to the temperature of the phone: if it gets very hot during a short time, then this is a bad sign.

You need to carefully put the battery compartment cover in place: if it fits into the grooves with difficulty, it may turn out that your battery is already swollen and dangerous to use.

Unfortunately, evolution in the field batteries goes very slowly. Russian scientists consider lithium-iron-phosphate batteries to be the safest, but for some reason they don’t make such batteries small.

The most serious incidents with telephones in our country occurred in Primorye, where a telephone caught fire in the hands of a schoolgirl right in class (the child received burns to his arms and legs and was hospitalized) and in Novosibirsk, where a telephone exploded in a crane operator’s cab, walking high above the ground.

The phone itself will never explode; the battery powering it, which is now most often a lithium ion battery, can explode.

How does this happen?

Canadian scientists from the company CLS wondered what happens inside the battery at the moment of explosion? They were able to look inside the battery and published their observations in the Journal of the Electrical Engineering Society in Canada. It turned out that everything happens due to a short circuit inside the power source: the lithium anode (positive electrode of the battery) reacts with the electrolyte. The battery begins to heat up, the material from which the cathode is made (negative electrode) is connected to the process, and after the battery warms up to two hundred degrees, a sharp release of oxygen occurs,carbon dioxide and other gases. The battery is swelling. Often the matter is limited to this, but in some cases the process goes further: toThe oxygen ignites due to the temperature and a small explosion occurs. This is dangerous for humans, primarily due to burns and minor injuries, and for the environment - due to fire. There have been cases when cars and furniture in apartments burned due to a telephone explosion. Eyewitnesses say that the phones not only burn, but also “boil with chemicals” and can damage other devices or wires that are nearby. But why do they explode?

Charger

The battery may be damaged if you use the wrong charger when charging your phone. Different manufacturers make battery electrodes from different materials and their charging speed is different. Some batteries can withstand charging at an increased speed, others, alas, cannot. If you connect the battery to an outlet using a more powerful “charger,” its partial destruction may occur: with a higher current, the inappropriate material heats up and the battery fails. This may not appear outwardly, but later the battery explodes.

Chip failure

Mechanical damage to the battery

The researchers concluded that most often phones or smartphones explode due to mechanical failure of the battery. A breakdown can happen unnoticed - you dropped the battery on the floor while disassembling the device, or your child “played” with it. To damage the integrity of the battery inside, just try to bend it - and failure is guaranteed. According to statistics, several smartphones caught fire after their owners got into an accident or even simply fell off a bicycle. There is a known case when a smartphone caught fire in the cabin of an airplane: the owner dropped it on the floor in the aisle and stepped on it.

Manufacturing defect

How to avoid this?

The measures are simple: you need to use only the charger that comes with the phone, handle the battery carefully, do not drop the phone, pay attention to the charging speed: if it suddenly speeds up, it means the battery is failing.

You need to pay attention to the temperature of the phone: if it gets very hot in a short time, then this is a bad sign.

You need to carefully put the battery compartment cover in place: if it fits into the grooves with difficulty, it may turn out that your battery is already swollen and dangerous to use.

Unfortunately, evolution in the battery industry is very slow. Russian scientists consider lithium-iron-phosphate batteries to be the safest, but for some reason they don’t make such batteries small.

In the US, a plane was evacuated due to a smoking smartphone. 75 people were forced to change plans. And this is not the first time. New devices Samsung already exploded in the hands of their owners, set bags and cars on fire and threatened people's health. A company whose devices are found to have a defect loses billions of dollars, but cannot yet solve the problem.

Fasten your seat belts, turn off Cell phones. The captain of a Southwest Airlines Boeing flying from Louisville to Baltimore could hardly have imagined that his next phrase would be this: “We have smoke in the cabin. Can you send us help?”

The source of the commotion was found in the pocket of passenger Brian Greene. Smartphone started smoking Samsung latest Galaxy models Note 7. “I heard a pop, as if the packaging had been ripped open. And then I saw smoke rising right from the pocket where I had the phone. I threw it aside,” Green said.

The flight was cancelled, the carpet in the aisle of the airliner burned through, and along with it, perhaps, hopes burned out Korean corporation that she managed to solve the problem of self-igniting phones. The one that caught fire at Green's was just new. One of the nearly million gadgets that Samsung in the US has decided to replace. This can be seen by the device number.

“We have concluded that there is a risk of fire, smoke, and other damage. And this risk is quite high. I know that the company is now looking into this issue. We want to know what conclusions will be drawn,” says Elliot Kay, a representative of the commission for quality control of goods.

Just a week ago, another American Delta airliner flying from Detroit to Amsterdam had to request a landing in Manchester. The Korean tablet, crushed by the back of the chair, began to smoke. Samsung devices generally catch fire in the most unexpected places. Sometimes there is smoke without fire. Sometimes other movable property perishes along with the phone.

Nathan Dornacher did not have the opportunity to film how his brand new jeep was burning. The camera was in the smartphone, and the smartphone was in the car. "The last thing that could come to my mind is that such simple thing, like a telephone, it can burn down my car!” he says.

But this South Carolina resident claims that because of Samsung he was left without a garage. I put the handset on charge two days before they began to be recalled en masse in America. “We were unable to meet the high standards that you expect from us and that you deserve. We apologize to you for this,” says the head Samsung Electronics America Tim Baxter.

Investors are not convinced by the apology. In addition, a new scandal is brewing. The phones started exploding washing machines produced by a Korean corporation. Its shares fell to a two-month low.

Samsung got burned by its own ideas about competition. To get ahead of the American seven, the Korean seven was released a month before the new iPhone. Too much powerful battery in a too thin package blew up the entire sales strategy from the inside. Phones with sparkle will generate $5 billion in revenue from their manufacturers this year alone.

The phone itself will never explode; the battery powering it, which is now most often a lithium ion battery, can explode.

How does this happen?

Charger

Chip failure

Mechanical damage to the battery

Manufacturing defect

How to avoid this?

You need to pay attention to the temperature of the phone: if it gets very hot in a short time, then this is a bad sign.

You need to carefully put the battery compartment cover in place: if it fits into the grooves with difficulty, it may turn out that your battery is already swollen and dangerous to use.

We are all in danger, each of us contains portable bombs at home (in our pockets, at work) that can cause serious harm, even death. It’s all about the dangerous assembly technology, which has become a standard for the whole world and does not frighten society at all.

Li-ion battery

Today we all use mass various devices and technical innovations powered by lithium-ion batteries. This is a type of electric battery that differs from other similar energy carriers in its versatility, high density energy and ease of maintenance.

Despite their positive characteristics, such batteries pose a certain threat. Batteries of this type can explode, damage or destroy property and, worse, cause serious harm to health or even lead to death.

Nevertheless lithium ion batteries widespread in various fields human life. This type of energy carrier can be found in cars, airplanes, and most importantly, in smartphones and tablets, which the majority of people use every day. permanent basis. Roughly speaking, as mentioned above, everything modern society carries with him which can be activated in case of an oversight, an unfortunate accident or due to the negligence of the manufacturer.

Possible causes of battery explosion

Lithium batteries have been tested over time and are considered relatively safe if you follow all the manufacturer's recommendations, but how often does anyone even bother to read the instructions? Any violation can lead to dire consequences. For example, a sudden change in temperature, which is one of the most common reasons why batteries fail. In this case, the lithium-ion battery begins to produce gas, the battery becomes significantly plumper, and in rare cases a leak can be detected. Both symptoms are a reason to immediately stop using the device, disconnect the battery and properly dispose of it. In addition to changing thermal conditions, there are a number of other common causes of battery explosion that are worth focusing on.

Physical impact and handicraft repairs

Any damage, bending or impact may cause the battery to become overheated, causing an explosion. The same goes for punctures that often accompany repair work.

“Jacks of all trades” often resort to repairing anything and everything without turning to professionals for help. Maybe, new experience- this is even great, people develop their skills and save money, but when it comes to lithium batteries, you should forget about your “skill”, because you cannot disassemble and repair lithium-ion batteries. The same applies to small “tents” located in shopping centers and responsible for repairing various types of electronics.

Overdischarge and wear

As ironic as this may sound, even if you leave lithium-ion battery at rest, it still remains dangerous, since it can use up a critical mass of charge. Usually in such cases the battery simply fails and stops functioning, but human stupidity and courage has no limits. Many attempts have been recorded to bring a completely dead battery back to life simply by putting it on charge (with or without a functioning device). In both cases, the battery can short out, instantly heat up to combustion temperature and ignite.

Just like an old cabinet can fall apart at any moment, it can overheat old battery. As it is used, it wears out, loses volume, and certain parts become damaged. There will come a time when physical changes to the battery will require replacement.

Galaxy Note 7 scandal

The most global battery collapse (on the market mobile devices) occurred in 2016, along with the release of a smartphone from Samsung. Until the now iconic date, a phone battery exploding was perceived as a rare, unlikely accident. In the summer of 2016, when within a week the media reported more than 35 incidents of explosions Galaxy smartphones Note 7, everything has changed.

Note 7, by the way, was received very positively, the device pleased absolutely everyone, but, trying to overtake its competitors, Samsung miscalculated and seriously set itself up. By early September, officials Korean company announced that they are launching a global campaign to return defective gadgets. They offered to exchange the phones for the same model, but supposedly from a new batch. Less than a couple of days later, the situation repeated itself on a new scale. People began to turn to Samsung even more often, cars began to burn, property began to deteriorate, people suffered, receiving serious burns. At a certain point, the Koreans backed down, deciding to stop selling and assembling the phone.

Causes of problems with Galaxy Note 7

More than six months later, as of January 2017, the company did not give any clear comments about the incident. Many analysts and people familiar with the company's activities say that the company's engineers are unable to reproduce the explosion in the laboratory.

Independent organizations are inclined to believe that the explosion occurs due to problems with the power controller. Complex (dense) design of a smartphone, including curved display, provoked contact between two parts of the battery: the cathode and the anode, which, in turn, led to excessive heating. A lithium battery always tends to rise in temperature, this is normal, but the manufacturer should have taken care that at a certain moment the smartphone would be deprived of power. Unfortunately, it did not happen. And, no matter how careful users were with their Samsung, battery explosion has become a widespread problem affecting everyone without exception.

Consequences for the company

To understand how such an incident turned out for the company, it is enough to put yourself in their place. What will the consumer think about a product that has suddenly become a laughing stock and a threat to life? Most likely, he will avoid it. But it’s one thing to have a reputation that exists today, isn’t there tomorrow, and is there again the day after tomorrow; real facts are another thing. The company suffered losses, quite serious and significant for the mobile division - $22 billion. Phones were remotely prevented from charging to avoid further explosions.

On this moment the phone is not being produced, the company is investigating and we can only hope that the battery exploded Samsung Note 7 will serve as a lesson to Koreans that will make them stronger.

iPhone explosion cases

Despite its special position in the smartphone market and minimum level marriage, even an Apple smartphone can turn into an improvised bomb. One of the most recent cases was the explosion of a novelty from Apple, iPhone smartphone 7, which one of the fans allegedly ordered on the Internet, and received an already damaged gadget.

There was no confirmation regarding the spontaneous combustion of the iPhone, and this incident was written off as the usual fanning of rumors. Fortunately for owners of new smartphones from California, the explosion of the iPhone battery was only one of the few caused by improper operation (in in this case excessive physical impact), and not a mass problem.

Other reported cases iPhone explosions became a consequence short circuit resulting from use from a third party manufacturer.

How to avoid an explosion?

The simplest thing any user can do is to look at the instructions at least once in their life and find out how dangerous the battery in a smartphone is and what kind of care it requires.

Always follow exactly temperature regime, do not leave your smartphone under direct sun rays too long. You cannot remove the battery yourself in smartphones where this option is not provided by the manufacturer ( we're talking about about gadgets with a monolithic body).

Give preference to devices that have at least some name, time-tested, and avoid impulsively purchasing the most “top” new products.

The main thing you need to understand is that the explosion lithium battery this is real and very dangerous, if possible, do not leave gadgets on charge unattended, who knows at what point the technology will fail and a fire will occur.

What's next?

Now in terms of technology, this is the cheapest, yet most energy-efficient option for mobile devices and other electronics. Naturally, this type batteries are still a priority.

Lithium batteries may be replaced. Despite their terrible name, this type of battery is completely harmless to humans, and will allow the gadget to live on a single charge many times longer than now. Unfortunately, development in this area is happening rather slowly and progress should not be expected in the near future. Perhaps the explosion of the Samsung Note 7 battery will not be in vain and will force engineers working in the field information technologies, hurry up.