Angled Gasket Joint Reduces Stress in Fuel Cell Stack
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel cell stacks face issues with stress concentration leading to separator damage or deformation and gasket position shift due to compression forces, particularly in high-pressure operations, where existing solutions either damage fragile separators or fail to maintain airtightness effectively.
Innovation Solution
A T-shaped or cross-shaped gasket joint with angled branches and strategically placed holes is designed to disperse stress concentration, with angles ranging from 5° to 65° and hole sizes optimized to prevent damage and position shifts, allowing for efficient airtightness maintenance without increasing non-reactive area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If compression pressure is applied to maintain airtightness, then sealing performance is improved, but stress concentration damages the separator
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket incorporates holes at specific locations (manifold regions, corner regions) to locally modify stress distribution. These holes are strategically positioned to reduce stress concentration at critical points where the separator is most vulnerable, while maintaining adequate sealing pressure in other regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket design changes the physical parameters of the compression system by introducing holes with specific sizes (e.g., 3-7mm diameter) and positions. This modifies the compression force distribution, reducing peak stresses on the separator while maintaining overall sealing effectiveness through optimized hole placement and size selection.
2Reliability
If gasket deformation is concentrated in a spot region, then airtightness is maintained, but stress concentration occurs on the separator
Solution Approach 1:
Holes are positioned at specific locations including manifold regions and corner regions of the gasket to locally modify deformation patterns. This prevents concentrated spot deformation while maintaining adequate sealing at critical interfaces between the gasket and separator.
Solution Approach 2:
The holes, which initially appear to reduce sealing area, actually convert harmful stress concentration into beneficial stress distribution. The holes allow the gasket to deform more uniformly, transforming potential damage points into controlled deformation zones that protect the separator.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a groove is formed on the gasket to prevent position shift, then gasket stability is improved, but stress concentration still damages the separator
Solution Approach 1:
The design combines grooves for position stability with holes for stress relief at different locations. Grooves are placed to prevent gasket displacement, while holes are positioned at stress-concentration-prone areas to locally reduce stress on the separator, achieving both stability and stress reduction simultaneously.
4Reliability
If the gasket is compressed to maintain airtightness in high pressure operations, then sealing performance is improved, but the gasket slips out of the separator
Solution Approach 1:
Grooves are positioned at specific locations on the gasket to provide localized mechanical interlocking with the separator. This prevents the gasket from slipping out under high compression pressure while maintaining adequate sealing contact area for airtightness.
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves create curved or recessed features that mechanically engage with the separator surface, providing a locking effect that prevents gasket displacement during high-pressure operation while maintaining sealing effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a gasket for reducing stress concentration in a fuel cell stack, which prevents damage or deformation of a separator and further prevents a position shift of the gasket by reducing stress concentration formed at a specific region by deformation of the gasket due to a compression force. In particular, the gasket includes a T-shaped or cross-shaped gasket joint to form hydrogen, air and coolant manifolds, and the gasket joint has a structure in which two joint branches forming an angle of 180° in the opposite direction to each other are joined at one point with a particular angles which reduce stress concentration formed due to compression force by deformation of the gasket.