Investigation of contact pressure distribution over the active area of PEM fuel cell stack

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 3062-3071 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Alizadeh ◽  
M.M. Barzegari ◽  
M. Momenifar ◽  
M. Ghadimi ◽  
S.H.M. Saadat
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiming Zhang ◽  
Jun Zhang ◽  
Yapeng Shang ◽  
Tong Zhang

Abstract The endplates are essential to assembly a large proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack, whose deflection is negative to its uniform contact pressure distribution and large electrical contact resistance. The endplates with assembly clamping belts are proposed as an equivalent mechanical beam model consisting of elastic beam element with clamping forces. The deflection curve equations of endplates with 1 to 5 clamping belts are studied which allows investigating endplates deflection for uniform contact pressure distribution. Based on this equivalent mechanical model for fuel cell stack, the effects of the thicknesses of endplates, numbers and positions of clamping belts are discussed, and show the optimal thickness of endplate with different clamping belts, and moreover the optimal position of intermediate and outer clamping belts on the endplates. Finally, a three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) of a fuel cell stack clamping with steel belts and nonlinear contact elements is compared to what the equivalent mechanical beam model predicts. It is found that the presented model gives good prediction accuracy for the deflection behavior of endplates and the clamping force. Results showed that the equivalent mechanical modeling is effective and helpful for the design of a large fuel cell stack assembly.


2015 ◽  
Vol 750 ◽  
pp. 220-225
Author(s):  
Xue Mei Han ◽  
Jin Zhu Tan ◽  
Yong Chang Liu ◽  
Peng Li ◽  
Long Pan

Both assembly force and temperature play an important role in the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell performance. In this paper, contact pressure between bipolar plate and gas diffusion layer (GDL) in a PEM fuel cell under various assembly forces and at different temperatures was studied numerically. Considering the coupling effects of assembly force and operating temperature on contact pressure, a three-dimensional finite element model of the PEM fuel cell was established and the contact pressure between the GDL and the bipolar plate was studied using commercial code ABAQUS. In order to verify the simulated results, the experimental study was conducted to investigate the contact pressure distribution between the bipolar plate and the GDL. The experimental results are in good agreement with the finite element method (FEM) results. The simulated and experimental results reveal that the contact pressure increased with the increase of assembly force and temperature. It is found that the contact pressure distribution between the bipolar plate and the GDL had the best uniformity under the applied torque of 3.0N·m and at the operating temperature of 80 °C in this work.


2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (15) ◽  
pp. 6481-6493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Bates ◽  
Santanu Mukherjee ◽  
Sunwook Hwang ◽  
Sang C. Lee ◽  
Osung Kwon ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Linfa Peng ◽  
Diankai Qiu ◽  
Peiyun Yi ◽  
Xinmin Lai

Contact pressure distribution between bipolar plate (BPP) and gas diffusion layer (GDL) has significant impact on performance and life time of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Most current studies for contact pressure prediction are based on finite-element analysis (FEA), requiring huge computation for the whole fuel cell assembly. Comparatively speaking, the more generalized and well-developed analytical methods are deficient in this field. The objective of this study is to propose a full-scale continuous equivalent model to predict GDL contact pressure effectively in the PEM fuel cell. Using the model, the nonuniform pressure distribution resulted from dimensional errors of metallic BPP and GDL could be obtained. First, a parameterized theoretical model of BPP/GDL assembly is established based on equivalent stiffness analysis of components, and definition methods of dimensional errors are proposed according to actual measurements and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). Then, experiments are carried out to obtain the actual GDL contact pressure and the model results show good agreement with experimental results. At last, effects of dimensional errors are investigated. Acceptable assembly pressure for a given fuel cell is suggested based on the model. This model is helpful to understand the effect of the dimensional errors, and it also could be adopted to guide the manufacturing of BPP, GDL, and the assembling of PEM fuel cell.


2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Lee

Abstract A tire slips circumferentially on the rim when subjected to a driving or braking torque greater than the maximum tire-rim frictional torque. The balance of the tire-rim assembly achieved with weight attachment at certain circumferential locations in tire mounting is then lost, and vibration or adverse effects on handling may result when the tire is rolled. Bead fitment refers to the fit between a tire and its rim, and in particular, to whether a gap exists between the two. Rim slip resistance, or the maximum tire-rim frictional torque, is the integral of the product of contact pressure, friction coefficient, and the distance to the wheel center over the entire tire-rim interface. Analytical solutions and finite element analyses were used to study the dependence of the contact pressure distribution on tire design and operating attributes such as mold ring profile, bead bundle construction and diameter, and inflation pressure, etc. The tire-rim contact pressure distribution consists of two parts. The pressure on the ledge and the flange, respectively, comes primarily from tire-rim interference and inflation. Relative contributions of the two to the total rim slip resistance vary with tire types, depending on the magnitudes of ledge interference and inflation pressure. Based on the analyses, general guidelines are established for bead design modification to improve rim slip resistance and mountability, and to reduce the sensitivity to manufacturing variability. An iterative design and analysis procedure is also developed to improve bead fitment.


1995 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Shiobara ◽  
T. Akasaka ◽  
S. Kagami ◽  
S. Tsutsumi

Abstract The contact pressure distribution and the rolling resistance of a running radial tire under load are fundamental properties of the tire construction, important to the steering performance of automobiles, as is well known. Many theoretical and experimental studies have been previously published on these tire properties. However, the relationships between tire performances in service and tire structural properties have not been clarified sufficiently due to analytical and experimental difficulties. In this paper, establishing a spring support ring model made of a composite belt ring and a Voigt type viscoelastic spring system of the sidewall and the tread rubber, we analyze the one-dimensional contact pressure distribution of a running tire at speeds of up to 60 km/h. The predicted distribution of the contact pressure under appropriate values of damping coefficients of rubber is shown to be in good agreement with experimental results. It is confirmed by this study that increasing velocity causes the pressure to rise at the leading edge of the contact patch, accompanied by the lowered pressure at the trailing edge, and further a slight movement of the contact area in the forward direction.


1995 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kagami ◽  
T. Akasaka ◽  
H. Shiobara ◽  
A. Hasegawa

Abstract The contact deformation of a radial tire with a camber angle, has been an important problem closely related to the cornering characteristics of radial tires. The analysis of this problem has been considered to be so difficult mathematically in describing the asymmetric deformation of a radial tire contacting with the roadway, that few papers have been published. In this paper, we present an analytical approach to this problem by using a spring bedded ring model consisting of sidewall spring systems in the radial, the lateral, and the circumferential directions and a spring bed of the tread rubber, together with a ring strip of the composite belt. Analytical solutions for each belt deformation in the contact and the contact-free regions are connected by appropriate boundary conditions at both ends. Galerkin's method is used for solving the additional deflection function defined in the contact region. This function plays an important role in determining the contact pressure distribution. Numerical calculations and experiments are conducted for a radial tire of 175SR14. Good agreement between the predicted and the measured results was obtained for two dimensional contact pressure distribution and the camber thrust characterized by the camber angle.


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