Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a battery charger for charging a connected battery pack. The battery charger is capable of determining an impedance characteristic value of the battery pack and adjusting a charging scheme, including an initial and/or subsequent charging rates for the battery pack based on the determined impedance characteristic value. The present disclosure is also directed to a method of charging a battery pack. The method includes determining an impedance characteristic value of the battery pack and adjusting a charging scheme, including an initial and/or subsequent charging rates for the battery pack based on the determined impedance characteristic value.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a fiber-reinforced metal matrix composite including the steps of mounting of a braided fiber tube on a substrate, wrapping a braze foil about the braided fiber tube to form an assembly that is encapsulated by a metal capsule which is creep collapsed onto the assembly at a temperature below the braze foil flowpoint. The encapsulated assembly is subsequently heated to a temperature sufficient to induce flow of the braze foil alloy and later cooled to allow solidification and annealing of the resulting fiber reinforced metal composite.