Fuel Cell Separator Bent Edge Gripping and Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for producing fuel cells face issues with excessive adhesive application and conveyance failures due to flat peripheral edges of metal separators, leading to inefficient sealing and potential deformation during conveyance.
Innovation Solution
The method involves forming bent portions with recesses and projections on the peripheral edges of sheet-like metal separators, allowing for secure gripping during conveyance and controlled adhesive application to reduce excess adhesive and prevent seal portion failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If flat peripheral edges of metal separators are used, then the structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but adhesive flows excessively during joining and conveyance failures occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by forming bent portions (protrusions and recesses) on the peripheral edges of the metal separators. This curved geometry replaces the flat peripheral edges, creating mechanical interlocking features that prevent adhesive flow during joining and provide gripping points for reliable conveyance without flipping or deformation.
2Reliability
If adhesive is applied to seal the space between peripheral edges of metal separators, then sealing is achieved, but excessive adhesive flows and increases material usage
Solution Approach 1:
The bent portions with protrusions and recesses create a curved, interlocking interface between separators. This geometry confines the adhesive within the recesses and prevents it from flowing excessively during the joining process, achieving reliable sealing while reducing adhesive consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The recesses formed by the bent portions act as nested cavities that contain the adhesive. The protrusion of one separator fits into the recess of the other separator, creating a nested structure that holds the adhesive in place and prevents overflow during assembly.
3Device complexity
If grippers grip flat surfaces of separators during conveyance, then the gripping mechanism is simple, but separators flip up and deform under headwind
Solution Approach 1:
The bent portions create curved gripping surfaces (protrusions and recesses) on the separators. These curved features provide positive mechanical engagement with the grippers, preventing the separators from flipping up or deforming during high-speed conveyance while maintaining a relatively simple conveyance mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The bent portions create localized gripping features at specific positions on the separator periphery. This local modification provides enhanced gripping capability exactly where needed for conveyance, without requiring complex changes to the entire conveyance system.
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 approach enhances the conveyance reliability by increasing frictional resistance and reduces adhesive usage, ensuring effective sealing while preventing adhesive flow and deformation of separators during the fuel cell production process.
Implementation Method 1
the frictional resistance between the grippers and the separator can be increased, thus avoiding a slip of the separator on the grippers
Implementation Method 2
disposing the adhesive in the recess of one of the separators and fitting the projection of the other separator in the recess
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method for producing a fuel cell that can reduce the amount of an adhesive applied to join a pair of sheet-like separators together while also avoiding failures in the conveyance of the separators. A separator, which has a bent portion on the peripheral edge thereof and has a recess and a projection formed on one surface and the other surface, respectively, of the separator by the bent portion, is used. The conveying step includes gripping the bent portion at opposite ends of each separator using grippers. The seal portion forming step includes disposing an adhesive in the recess formed by the bent portion of one of the separators, and fitting the projection formed by the bent portion of the other separator in the recess.