Reliability Analysis of the Cracked Ag-SU8 Interface on the Channel Wall in a Micro-PEMFC
The efficiency of the fuel cell depends on both the kinetics of the electrochemical process and performance of the components. The main aim of this research is to analysis the reliability of the cracked Ag-SU8 interface on the channel wall in a micro-PEMFC. An existed surface crack on the channel wall subjected to the flow induced compressive stresses and shear stresses will propagate and lead to the spall formation. In this paper, at first, the flow induced compressive and shear stresses are obtained through simulation of stress state and flow-field in the micro-channel by commercial package software ANSYS® 8.0. Then, the stresses arising at the crack tip due to flow induced compressive and shear stresses can be calculated and characterized by the mode I and II stress intensity factors (SIF), KI and KII, respectively. Finally, the KI and KII stress intensity factors at the crack tip are computed for the different crack sizes and loadings. The results show that the inlet pressure and crack length affect the stress intensity factors more than the inlet velocity does. Also, the results show that as the crack length increases, the value of KI will increase, but the value of KII decreases slightly.