Effect of Road-Induced Vibration on Gas-Tightness of Vehicular Fuel Cell Stack 2016-01-1186

The vehicular fuel cell stack is unavoidably impacted by the vibration in the real-world usage due to the road unevenness. However, effects of vibration on stacks have yet to be completely understood. In this work, the mechanical integrity and gas-tightness of the stack were investigated through a strengthen road vibration test with a duration of 200 h. The excitation signals applied in the vibration test were simulated by the acceleration of the stack, which were previously measured in a vehicle vibration test. The load signals of the vehicle vibration test were iterated through a road simulator from vehicle acceleration signals which were originally sampled in the proving ground. Frequency sweep test was conducted before and after the vibration test. During the vibration test, mechanical structure inspection and pressure maintaining test of the stack were conducted at regular intervals. Experimental results show that the mechanical integrity of the stack remains unchanged, while the gas-tightness degrades obviously. The pressure drop rates of anode and cathode experience a rapid rise at first and then a slow increase to 237 % and 390 % of the original value, respectively. Meanwhile, the rated power of the stack declines by 2.21 % of the initial value.