Fuel cell plate with variable thickness sealing beads

Abstract

A fuel cell apparatus includes at least two facing, parallel plates, stacked together but spaced apart by resilient sealing beads disposed on at least one of the plates. The resilient sealing beads are adapted to facilitate control of fluid flows, such as electrolytes, between the plates and are thus called fluid sealing beads. Each plate contains at least one bolt aperture for securement of the two plates together in the described facing, yet spaced apart, arrangement. Separate beads disposed about the aperture(s) act as aperture load compensation beads. In one preferred embodiment, the fluid sealing beads have one uniform thickness, while the aperture compensation beads have another thickness less than that of the fluid sealing beads. In the same embodiment, the aperture compensation beads are wider, however, than the fluid sealing beads. In another embodiment, the thicknesses of the fluid sealing beads may be varied as a function of proximity of any portion of the fluid bead to the bolt hole apertures, with the thickness of aperture beads being less to accommodate anticipated normally higher stress loads at bolted connections.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.