Numerical and Empirical Investigation on Bending Behavior of Composite Bipolar Plates for PEM Fuel Cells

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells, as an energy generator, convert the chemical energy of the fuel directly into electrical energy. An important component of polymer fuel cells are bipolar plates, which are responsible for the distribution of fuel and oxidants and facilitate the management of water inside the cell and transmission of electric current. In this study, the fracture method of graphite-based composite bipolar plates of polymer fuel cells under bending loads was investigated experimentally and numerically. Simple and perforated composite bipolar plates were tested and simulated with the approach of determining flexural stability under static load. In numerical analysis, mechanical simulation using finite element method and Abaqus software were used. Then, after making the laboratory samples, the experimental test of three-point bending was performed on them with the aim of validating the simulation results. Finally, results of numerical and experimental analyzes of the flexural behavior of composite bipolar plates were compared with each other. Comparison of the results of numerical and experimental analyzes showed that the results of these two methods had an acceptable agreement with each other. In addition, the presence of a high percentage of graphite as well as high fragility weakens the body and beams of this material increase the specimen of the sample, which occurs only due to the molecular bond of graphite, which causes the graphite to slip.