Anti-collapse structure for fuel cell housing assembly
By designing an anti-collapse waist rod with a cutting plane and insulation, the problem of positional interference between the anti-collapse waist rod and the reactor core was solved, achieving efficient installation and effective support for the reactor core while retaining the advantages of integrated fuel cell stack enclosure.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- YUCHAI XINLAN (JIANGSU) HYDROGEN ENERGY TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-17
AI Technical Summary
In the existing design of anti-collapse waist structure for fuel cell stacks, the anti-collapse waist bar interferes with the position of the stack core or cannot make effective contact, resulting in installation difficulties or loss of the anti-collapse waist function.
Design an anti-collapse cylindrical rod with a cutting plane and an insulating part. By passing through the rear end plate and the front end plate and rotating 180°, the insulating part abuts against the core, ensuring effective contact and supporting the core. The use of a circular through hole facilitates installation and overcomes friction.
This design ensures that the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod avoids interference with the reactor core during installation, effectively supports the reactor core, improves installation efficiency and anti-collapse effect, and protects the reactor core from damage.
Smart Images
Figure CN224519897U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of fuel cell technology, specifically to an anti-collapse structure for a fuel cell housing assembly. Background Technology
[0002] Fuel cell stacks can experience waist collapse during operation, which can negatively impact their performance. Therefore, to minimize waist collapse, anti-collapse structures are designed. Existing anti-collapse structure designs include... Figure 1 As shown; first, fix the anti-collapse waist bar 10 to the bottom of the shell 5, and pre-assemble the anti-collapse waist bar 10 with the shell 5; after the core 1 is stacked, when the shell 5 is installed from top to bottom, the anti-collapse waist bar 10 is installed together with the shell 5; after the installation is completed, finally seal the rear end plate on the shell 5.
[0003] The above-described design is the mainstream approach used by fuel cell stack manufacturers. This design is based on an integrated shell packaging system, which combines tightening and fixing. The shell 5 directly bears the pressing force of the core 1. After the core 1 is pressed in, the shell 5 is fitted to secure it, eliminating the need for screws, tie rods, straps, and other accessories and fastening steps. This structure is simple, low-cost, and highly reliable, increasing volumetric power density and making it easier to arrange in a vehicle. However, this method has drawbacks: it requires extremely high precision in parts processing, core stack alignment, and assembly technology. If there are deviations in parts processing precision or poor core alignment, interference between the anti-collapse support 10 and the core 1 will occur, making it impossible to complete the shell fitting. Figure 2 As shown at point b, insufficient precision between the anti-collapse brace 10 and the shell 5 causes interference between the anti-collapse brace 10 and the core 1, preventing the shell 5 from being installed smoothly. Forced installation would damage the core 1; or, after the shell is installed, the anti-collapse brace 10 may be too far from the core 1, failing to contact and support it, thus failing to provide anti-collapse protection. Figure 1 As shown at point a, due to insufficient precision between the anti-collapse brace 10 and the shell 5, a gap is left between the anti-collapse brace 10 and the core 1, and the anti-collapse brace 10 does not contact and abut against the core 1, so the anti-collapse brace 10 cannot play its anti-collapse role.
[0004] In summary, there is an urgent need for a design structure and installation method for anti-collapse bracing to achieve efficient and precise contact and hold the reactor core in place, in order to solve the problems of positional interference or inability to hold the reactor core in existing anti-collapse bracing 10. Utility Model Content
[0005] The problem to be solved is to provide a design structure and installation method for an anti-collapse waist that can make efficient and precise contact with and hold the reactor core, so as to solve the problems of positional interference or inability to hold the reactor core in existing anti-collapse waists.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: an anti-collapse waist structure for a fuel cell housing assembly, comprising a housing for mounting the core, a front end plate and a rear end plate located at both ends of the housing, and two anti-collapse waist rods located on the same side of the housing. The anti-collapse waist rods can sequentially penetrate the rear end plate and the front end plate and abut against one side of the core. One side of the anti-collapse waist rod is a cutting plane, which is set along the length direction of the anti-collapse waist rod. An insulating part is provided on the side opposite to the cutting plane. The insulating part is arc-shaped and its length is less than the length of the anti-collapse waist rod but greater than the height of the core. The anti-collapse waist rod is also provided with a circular through hole for rotating the anti-collapse waist rod. During installation, the cutting plane of the anti-collapse waist rod faces the core. After penetrating the rear end plate and the front end plate, the anti-collapse waist rod can rotate 180° so that the insulating part abuts against the side of the core.
[0007] Preferably, the rear end plate is provided with two rear end plate through holes for the two anti-collapse waist-shaped rods to pass through, and the two rear end plate through holes are arranged at intervals.
[0008] Preferably, the front end plate is provided with two arc-shaped slots that are interference-fitted with the two anti-collapse oval rods. The two arc-shaped slots are arranged at intervals and are located below the through hole of the rear end plate.
[0009] Preferably, there are two through holes on the rear end plate.
[0010] Preferably, the top of the insulation portion is higher than the top of the core, and the bottom of the insulation portion is lower than the bottom of the core.
[0011] Preferably, the circular through hole allows a wrench to be inserted to rotate the anti-collapse oval rod.
[0012] Compared with existing technologies, this utility model provides an anti-collapse waist structure for a fuel cell housing assembly, which has the following advantages: The special design of the anti-collapse waist rod avoids positional interference or non-contact with the fuel cell core during integrated housing packaging; the cutting surface of the anti-collapse waist rod facilitates its penetration through the rear end plate through-hole and the front end plate arc-shaped slot, without touching the fuel cell core during penetration, thus protecting the core; after penetration, the anti-collapse waist rod rotates 180° to align the insulation part with the fuel cell core and provide support. The rotation of the anti-collapse waist rod can be achieved by inserting a common wrench into its circular through-hole. Attached Figure Description
[0013] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of existing anti-collapse waist structure Figure 1 ;
[0014] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of existing anti-collapse waist structure Figure 2 ;
[0015] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the anti-collapse structure of this utility model before installation;
[0016] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged view of point A in the middle;
[0017] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the anti-collapse structure of this utility model after installation;
[0018] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Enlarged view of point B in the middle;
[0019] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the rotation of the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod of this utility model;
[0020] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Enlarged view of point C in the middle;
[0021] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod of this utility model after rotation;
[0022] Figure 10 for Figure 9 Top view;
[0023] Figure 11 for Figure 10 Enlarged view of point D;
[0024] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the metal plug in this utility model;
[0025] Figure 13 for Figure 12 Enlarged view of point E in the middle;
[0026] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention after the metal plug has been installed;
[0027] Figure 15 for Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the cross section at point F;
[0028] Figure 16 for Figure 14 A diagram of the back of the building;
[0029] Figure 17 for Figure 16 Enlarged diagram of point G in the middle;
[0030] Figure 18 This is an exploded view of the structure of this utility model;
[0031] Figure 19 This utility model Figure 7 The right view in the middle;
[0032] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of the anti-collapse oval rod involved in this utility model;
[0033] Figure 21 This is a schematic diagram of the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod after installation in this utility model.
[0034] Figure 22 for Figure 21 Enlarged view of point M in the middle;
[0035] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Core; 2. Front end plate; 21. Arc-shaped slot; 3. Rear end plate; 31. Rear end plate through hole; 4. Anti-collapse oval rod; 41. Cutting plane; 42. Circular through hole; 43. Bolt; 44. Insulation part; 5. Shell; 6. Wrench; 7. Metal plug; 8. O-ring; 10. Anti-collapse oval rod. Detailed Implementation
[0036] The technical solutions of the present utility model will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present utility model:
[0037] To address the problems in the background technology, this utility model needs to facilitate the installation of the anti-collapse waist structure while fully utilizing its anti-collapse waist function. Therefore, it provides an anti-collapse waist structure for a fuel cell housing assembly, including a housing 5, a front end plate 2, a rear end plate 3, and an anti-collapse waist rod 4. The housing 5 is used to house the core 1. The front end plate 2 and the rear end plate 3 are installed at both ends of the housing 5. There are two anti-collapse waist rods 4, which are located on the same side of the housing 5. The anti-collapse waist rod 4 can pass through the rear end plate 3 and the front end plate 2 in sequence and abut against one side of the core 1. One side of the anti-collapse waist rod 4 is a cutting plane 41, which is set along the length of the anti-collapse waist rod 4 so that the cross-section of the anti-collapse waist rod 4 has a missing corner circle. An insulating part 44 is provided on the side opposite to the cutting plane 41. The insulating part 44 is arc-shaped and its length is less than the length of the anti-collapse waist rod 4 but greater than the height of the core 1, ensuring that the contact points between the anti-collapse waist rod 4 and the core 1 are all insulating parts 44. There is no insulating material at both ends of the anti-collapse waist rod 4. The anti-collapse waist-shaped rod 4 is also provided with a circular through hole 42. The circular through hole 42 serves as the force point for rotating the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod 4. During installation, the cutting surface 41 of the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod 4 faces the core 1, making the installation of the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod 4 smoother and eliminating the problem of interference with the core 1. After passing through the rear end plate 3 and the front end plate 2, the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod 4 can rotate 180° so that the insulating part 44 abuts against the side of the core 1. After the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod 4 is installed in place, it is rotated again so that the arc-shaped insulating part 44 can abut tightly against the side of the core 1, ensuring that the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod 4 supports the side of the core 1 to perform its anti-collapse waist function. The circular through hole 42 drives the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod 4 to rotate by inserting a wrench 6. During the rotation, it is necessary to overcome the friction between the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod 4 and the rear end plate 3 and the front end plate 2.
[0038] Specifically, the rear end plate 3 has two through holes 31 for the two anti-collapse cylindrical rods 4 to pass through, and the two through holes 31 are arranged at intervals; the front end plate 2 has two arc-shaped slots 21 that are interference-fitted with the two anti-collapse cylindrical rods 4, and the two arc-shaped slots 21 are arranged at intervals, and the arc-shaped slots 21 are located below the through holes 31 of the rear end plate. The line connecting the center of the arc-shaped slot 21 and the center of the through hole 31 of the rear end plate is perpendicular to the end face of the core 1, ensuring that the anti-collapse cylindrical rods 4 are set perpendicular to the end face of the core 1. Figure 19 As shown, the top of the insulating part 44 is higher than the top of the core 1, and the bottom of the insulating part 44 is lower than the bottom of the core 1. The length H1 of the insulating part 44 is greater than the height H of the core 1, ensuring that the contact points between the anti-collapse oval rod 4 and the core 1 are all at the insulating part 44. The length H1 of the insulating part 44 is less than the length of the anti-collapse oval rod 4, and there is no insulating material at both ends of the anti-collapse oval rod 4 to ensure the strength of the connection between the two ends of the anti-collapse oval rod 4 and the rear end plate 3 and the front end plate 2.
[0039] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the anti-collapse structure of this utility model before installation. Figure 4 for Figure 3 The enlarged schematic diagram at point A shows that the cutting surface 41 of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 faces the core 1 during installation. This prevents the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 from not contacting the core 1 during installation onto the side of the shell 5, facilitating the downward insertion of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4. After insertion, the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 becomes... Figure 5 state, Figure 6 for Figure 5 Enlarged diagram at point B: Using wrench 6, rotate the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 180°. Insert wrench 6 into the circular through hole 42 at the top of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4. After rotating the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 180° using wrench 6... Figure 7 state, Figure 8 for Figure 7 Enlarged schematic diagram at point C; at this position, the insulating part 44 on the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 abuts against the core 1, effectively preventing the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 from loosening or shifting through rotational contact friction; removing the wrench 6 changes... Figures 9-11 Then install the metal plug 7 and O-ring 8. First install the O-ring 8, then tighten the metal plug 7. Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention after the metal plug has been installed. Figure 15 for Figure 14 A cross-sectional view at point F, showing the internal cross-section of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 fixed to the rear end plate 3 after installation; Figure 16 for Figure 14 The diagram shows the back of the casing 5 and the anti-collapse oval rod 4, which are respectively limited and fixed by the front end plate 2 and the rear end plate 3. It should be noted that the front end plate 2 has an arc-shaped groove 21 at the position corresponding to the through hole 31 of the rear end plate. When the anti-collapse oval rod 4 is inserted, it is engaged with the arc-shaped groove 21 and forms an interference fit with it. Figure 16 , Figure 17 As shown, the inner surface of the arc-shaped groove 21 mates with the arc-shaped part of the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod 4, thus completing the installation of the structure of this utility model.
[0040] Figure 18 This is an exploded schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model. As can be seen from the figure, the cutting plane 41 of the anti-collapse waist-shaped rod 4 has turned away from the core 1, and the insulating part 44 faces the core 1. Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod involved in this utility model. The anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 has a long groove pre-cut on the opposite side of the cutting plane 41 to accommodate the insulating part 44. Multiple bolts 43 are arranged at intervals to connect the insulating part 44 to the long groove on the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4. The bolts 43 fasten the insulating part 44 to the metal body of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4. The bolts 43 penetrate from the cutting plane 41 side and are embedded in the cutting plane 41 to avoid affecting the insertion of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4. The metal body of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 is made of aluminum alloy or stainless steel, etc., and the material of the insulating part 44 used for contacting and supporting the reactor core is PPS, PEEK, POM, or FR4, etc. Figure 21 , 22 As shown, the fuel cell stack operates as follows: Figure 21 As shown in the diagram, the anti-collapse waist rod 4 supports the core placement to prevent collapse. Figure 22 As shown, the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 forms contact surfaces n and p after contacting the arc-shaped groove on the side of the shell 5. The curved surfaces n and p of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 are tangentially contacted with the inner wall of the shell along the vertical arc, which can play a buffering role when subjected to a large vertical impact force.
[0041] During operation, the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 is first pre-installed with the insulating part 44. After the shell 5 is completely fitted onto the outside of the core 1, the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 is inserted into the three designated through holes 31 of the rear end plate. Here, the diameter of the through holes 31 of the rear end plate is 0.1mm larger than that of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 to facilitate the insertion of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4. At the same time, when inserting, pay attention to the initial orientation of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4. The cutting surface 41 of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 should face the core 1. In this way, during the insertion process, there is a gap between the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 and the core 1, and there is no contact with the core 1 to avoid interference, which facilitates the rapid insertion of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4. After the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 is inserted to the bottom, the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 is exactly embedded in the predetermined arc-shaped groove 21 of the front end plate 2. Here, the diameter of the predetermined arc-shaped groove 21 of the front end plate 2 is the same as the diameter of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4. The standard tolerance for the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 is normally negative 0 to -0.02 mm. The diameter of the pre-arc groove 21 on the front end plate 2 can be positive (0 to +0.02 mm) to ensure that the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 will not move. Using an Allen wrench 6, insert it into the circular through hole 42 at the top of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 and rotate the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 180°. During the rotation, it is necessary to overcome the contact friction between the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 and the core 1. At this position, the insulating part 44 on the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 is exactly against the core 1. Due to the existence of the rotational contact friction, the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 is effectively prevented from loosening and shifting again. Finally, install O-rings 8 and metal plugs 7 on the two rear end plate through holes 31 on the rear end plate 3 respectively, tighten the metal plugs 7, and seal the two rear end plate through holes 31 on the rear end plate 3.
[0042] This invention provides an anti-collapse structure for a fuel cell housing assembly. The anti-collapse structure includes: a front end plate 2, a rear end plate 3, an anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4, and a housing 5. The housing 5 houses the fuel cell stack core 1, which is composed of multiple stacked fuel cells. After the housing 5 is assembled, the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 passes through a through-hole in the rear end plate 3. By rotating 180°, the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 abuts against the stack core 1, thus supporting the fuel cell stack core. The length of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 is along the stacking direction of the fuel cells, and both ends of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod 4 are connected to the front and rear end plates. This fuel cell, through an insertable anti-collapse cylindrical rod design, can support the bottom of the fuel cell stack core, preventing it from collapsing. Its two ends abut against the end plates, serving as a fixing structure to mitigate displacement deformation caused by lateral vibration and impact. At least a portion of the anti-collapse cylindrical rod is tangentially contacted with the inner wall of the housing along a vertical arc, providing a buffering effect when subjected to significant vertical impact forces. This invention retains the advantages of integrated housing packaging of fuel cell stacks, while avoiding the problems of positional interference between the anti-collapse waist rod and the core, or the anti-collapse waist rod not contacting the core, when the anti-collapse waist rod is assembled with the housing. It can play the role of preventing the core from collapsing.
[0043] The above embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this utility model without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.
Claims
1. A collapse-proof structure of a fuel cell housing assembly, comprising a housing (5) for housing a stack (1), a front end plate (2) and a rear end plate (3) at both ends of the housing (5), characterized in that: It also includes two anti-collapse cylindrical rods (4) located on the same side of the shell (5). The anti-collapse cylindrical rods (4) can pass through the rear end plate (3) and the front end plate (2) in sequence and then abut against one side of the core (1). One side of the anti-collapse cylindrical rods (4) is a cutting plane (41). The cutting plane (41) is set along the length direction of the anti-collapse cylindrical rods (4). An insulating part (44) is provided on the side opposite to the cutting plane (41). The insulating part (44) is arc-shaped and its length is less than the length of the anti-collapse cylindrical rods (4) and greater than the height of the core (1). The anti-collapse cylindrical rods (4) are also provided with a circular through hole (42) for rotating the anti-collapse cylindrical rods (4). When installed, the cutting plane (41) of the anti-collapse cylindrical rods (4) faces the core (1). After passing through the rear end plate (3) and the front end plate (2), the anti-collapse cylindrical rods (4) can be rotated 180° so that the insulating part (44) abuts against the side of the core (1).
2. The anti-bellied structure of a fuel cell housing assembly according to claim 1, characterized by: The rear end plate (3) is provided with two rear end plate through holes (31) for two anti-collapse waist round rods (4) to pass through, and the two rear end plate through holes (31) are arranged at intervals.
3. The anti-collapsing structure of a fuel cell housing assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The front end plate (2) is provided with two arc-shaped slots (21) that are interference fit with the two anti-collapse waist rods (4). The two arc-shaped slots (21) are arranged at intervals and are located below the through hole (31) of the rear end plate.
4. The anti-collapsing structure of a fuel cell housing assembly according to claim 1, wherein: Two through holes on the rear end plate (31).
5. The anti-collapsing structure of a fuel cell housing assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The top of the insulation part (44) is higher than the top of the core (1), and the bottom of the insulation part (44) is lower than the bottom of the core (1).
6. The anti-collapsing structure of a fuel cell housing assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The circular through hole (42) drives the anti-collapse waist rod (4) to rotate by inserting a wrench (6).