Surface roughness of AISI 1010 and AISI 304 of PEMFC bipolar plates with microscale hydroformed capillary channels

Abstract

As part of the efforts to produce robust, cost effective bipolar plates, it is necessary to evaluate the forming characteristics of potential materials under consideration. For this work the relationship between strain and deformation induced surface roughness was investigated for channels made from AISI 304 stainless steel and AISI 1010 mild steel that are formed using a hydroforming process. The experiment investigated the effect of channel geometry and hydroforming pressure on surface roughness of the sheet metals under consideration. It is important to state that some functional properties and manufacturing processes of metallic bipolar plates are dependent on the surface roughness of the materials. The results indicate that the final roughness of the formed part is dependent on the initial roughness of the as received sheet. Also, the results show that the surface roughness increases with increasing forming pressure and the resulting increase in strain of the sheet metal due to deformation.

A review on gas diffusion layer in proton exchange membrane fuel cell: Materials and manufacturing

“…The BPP is situated on the outskirts of the GDL. There are several materials available for making BPP, including non-porous graphite plates, metal plates (such as titanium alloy, 74 304 stainless steel 75 and 1010 mild steel 76 ) with or without coatings, and composite plates. 77 A variety of techniques including hydroforming, electromagnet forming, stamping 30,31 and rubber assisted forming process 78,79 were used to manufacture BPP.…”

“…28 The shape, size, pattern and surface roughness of the flow field had a significant effect on the performance of the PEM fuel cell. 76,80 The flow fields could be summarized as pin-type flow field, series-parallel flow field, 81 serpentine flow field, 46,82,83 integrated flow fields, 84 interdigitated flow field 85 and metal sheet. 86 Some innovative designs for consideration include channel with microgrooves, 87 multi-path spiral flow field, 88 channel with bronchial structure of the lung, 89 porous metal foam field 90 and mixed metal foam field.…”

FEA Assessment of Contact Pressure and Von Mises Stress in Gasket Material Suitability for PEMFCs in Electric Vehicles

“…The research provides insights into the most suitable hyperelastic constitutive model, ensuring both accuracy and safety margin for neoprene gasket applications, mitigating the risks associated with leakages, and enhancing overall safety in industrial and domestic appliances. LSR and EPDM are popular for PEMFC gaskets due to their excellent chemical resistance, elasticity, and compatibility with the fuel cell environment [33,34]. The contributions of this study are highlighted below:…”

Properties of SS304 Modified by Nickel–Cobalt Alloy Coating with Cauliflower-Shaped Micro/Nano Structures in Simulated PEMFC Cathode Environment

“…For example, graphite is fragile and expensive to process, aluminum demonstrates weak corrosion resistance, nickel and titanium show high material costs, and composite materials often exhibit unsatisfactory conductivity and mechanical properties [13][14][15]. In contrast, 304 stainless steel (SS304) has been widely studied as an excellent candidate material for bipolar plates because of its good and balanced material cost, conductivity, processability, and corrosion resistance [14,[16][17][18]. Nevertheless, the passivation of stainless steel will cause its surface conductivity and wettability to decrease significantly, which cannot meet the application requirements.…”