Fatigue Life Analysis of the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Stack

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stacks usually undergo vibrations during packing, transportation and serving time, in particular for those used in automobiles and portable equipment. Using finite element method (FEM), the response stress of the stack under random vibration is analyzed in the present paper. Based on the Miner fatigue damage theory, the fatigue lifes of fuel cell components (such as bolts, gaskets and PEMs) are assessed. Then the component fatigue life contours under four working conditions, i.e., the three single‐axial (in x‐, y‐ and z‐axis separately) and multi‐axial random vibrations are obtained. Accordingly, the component damage under vibrations in different directions is evaluated. The stress distribution on gasket and PEM will greatly affect their fatigue lifes. Moreover, comparing the fatigue lifes of 4‐bolt‐ and 6‐bolt‐clamping stacks under the same total clamping force, it is found that increasing the bolt number could improve the bolt fatigue lifes.