Integral Base Material Seal for Fuel Battery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional base material integrated type seals for fuel batteries require wider seal grooves due to protruding gasket portions, reducing the power generation area by occupying more space.
Innovation Solution
A base material integrated type seal with a gasket made of rubber-like elastic material, where a filling layer is filled into a through hole in the base material, connecting to the gasket and protruding flush with the base material, allowing for a smaller gasket width and narrower seal grooves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the gasket is formed with protruding portions to connect both surfaces of the base material, then the gasket can be integrally formed and provide sealing function, but the seal groove width must be increased to accommodate the protruding portions, reducing the power generation area
Solution Approach 1:
The filling layer is positioned within the thickness dimension of the base material rather than protruding in the width direction. By utilizing the thickness dimension (Z-axis) and making the filling layer flush with the outer surface, the solution avoids increasing the width dimension (X-axis), thereby maintaining the original seal groove width and preserving power generation area while still achieving integral formation of the gasket.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling layer is nested within the through hole of the base material, with its outer surface flush with the outer surface of the base material. This nesting arrangement allows the filling layer to be contained within the boundary defined by the base material thickness, preventing it from protruding beyond the gasket width and eliminating the need for wider seal grooves.
2Area of stationary object
If the gasket width is reduced to increase power generation area, then the power generation area is increased, but the sealing reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket is segmented into two functional parts: the base portion formed from the base material itself and the filling layer formed from molding liquid rubber filled into the through hole. This segmentation allows the gasket to maintain a compact width while the filling layer provides the necessary sealing contact surface, ensuring sealing reliability is maintained despite the reduced overall width.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket is formed as a composite structure combining the base material (film, sheet, or plate-like material) and the rubber-like elastic material (molding liquid rubber). This composite construction allows the gasket to achieve both compact dimensions and reliable sealing performance, as the rubber-like material provides elastic sealing properties while the base material provides structural support.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design achieves a space-saving solution by minimizing the gasket width, reducing the occupied area in fuel battery cells and maintaining effective sealing functionality.
Implementation Method 1
filling a liquid-like rubber for molding from an injection gate provided in the upper mold into cavities which are defined by the base material and inner surfaces of the upper mold and the lower mold so as to bridge and cure
Implementation Method 2
the seal lips and in the gaskets are brought into close contact with bottom surfaces of seal grooves which are formed in the separators in a compressed state, whereby the base material integrated type seal achieves a seal function
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A seal with an integral base material (1) in which a gasket (12) is formed integrally with a film, sheet, or plate-shaped base material (11), wherein space saving is achieved by making the width of the gasket (12) as small as possible. In order to achieve the foregoing, the following are provided: the film, sheet, or plate-shaped base material (11); the gasket (12) that is provided integrally with the base material (11) and that is formed of a rubbery elastic material; and a fill layer (13) formed by the rubbery elastic material that is filled into a through hole (11 a) that is provided in an open state in the base material (11). A portion of the fill layer (13) is connected to the gasket (12) and another portion extends out from the gasket (12) at substantially the same thickness as the base material (11).