Abstract: A propagation test cell includes a first substantially cuboid housing part and a drive mechanism arranged therein. The drive mechanism moves a nail along a movement axis. A second housing part has a reference surface parallel and directed opposite to a reference surface of the first housing part and is in contact therewith. The second housing part has a passage coaxial with the movement axis of the nail. The passage has a passage cross-sectional area greater than the diameter of the shank of the nail. Dimensions of the outer form of the propagation test cell correspond to a multiple of the respective dimensions of a battery cell with which the propagation test cell can be arranged within a cell module, so that the propagation test cell can be substituted with at least one additional battery cell or with a multiple thereof within a cell module.