Contact element, plug with a contact element and contact arrangement for contacting a bipolar stack

A plug for contacting a plurality of bipolar plates of a fuel cell stack, comprising:

• a housing having a plurality of contact chambers aligned in parallel, arranged next to one another, and open along a longitudinal axis;
• and
• a contact element arranged in at least one of the contact chambers, the contact element including a contact body extending along the longitudinal axis, the contact body has a channel extending along the longitudinal axis and delimited by a pair of channel walls disposed opposite one another in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, the channel is adapted to receive a portion of the bipolar plate, the contact body has a contact spring on a first channel wall of the pair of channel walls, the contact spring protruding into the channel and having a cutting edge directed toward a second channel wall of the pair of channels walls and adapted to contact the bipolar plate, the contact element further including a plug-in portion protruding out of the at least one contact chamber in which it is arranged and connected to an electrical conductor, the first channel wall defining a window formed therethrough, the contact spring arranged within the window.

A contact arrangement, comprising:

• a bipolar plate of a fuel cell stack;
• and
• a contact element having a contact body extending along a longitudinal axis, the contact body has a channel extending along the longitudinal axis and delimited by a pair of channel walls disposed opposite one another in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, the channel is adapted to receive a portion of the bipolar plate, the contact body has a pair of contact springs on a first channel wall of the pair of channel walls, each contact spring protruding into the channel and having a cutting edge directed toward a second channel wall of the pair of channels walls and adapted to cut into a surface of the bipolar plate, each contact spring is elastically deflectable about a pivot axis extending in a direction of the longitudinal axis.