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AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsMichael Edward Badding, Jeffrey Earl Cortright, John David Helfinstine, Thomas Dale Ketcham, Scott Christopher Pollard, Irene M. Slater, Dell Joseph St Julien, Sujanto Widjaja
Estimating the term…
A stress reducing mounting for an electrolyte sheet assembly in a solid electrolyte fuel cell is provided that includes a support frame or manifold having an inner edge portion that supports a peripheral portion of the sheet assembly, a seal that affixes an edge of the peripheral portion to the frame or manifold, and a stress reducer disposed around the peripheral portion of the electrolyte sheet and the frame or manifold that reduces tensile stress in the peripheral portion of the electrolyte sheet when the peripheral portion is bent by pressure differentials or thermal differential expansion. The stress reducer is at least one of a convex curved surface on the inner edge portion of the frame or manifold that makes area contact with the peripheral portion when it bends in response to a pressure differential or thermal differential expansion, and a stiffening structure on the sheet peripheral portion that renders the ceramic sheet material forming the peripheral portion more resistant to bending. The stress reducing mounting reduces cracking in the electrolyte sheet at the peripheral portions due to tensile forces.
A stress reducing mounting in a solid electrolyte fuel cell for an electrolyte sheet assembly of a type less than 200 microns in thickness that includes a flexible sheet of ceramic material whose periphery forms a peripheral portion of the electrolyte sheet, comprising:
A stress reducing mounting in a solid electrolyte fuel cell for an electrolyte sheet assembly of a type less than 200 microns in thickness that includes a flexible sheet of ceramic material whose periphery forms a peripheral portion of the electrolyte sheet, comprising:
A stress reducing mounting in a solid electrolyte fuel cell for an electrolyte sheet assembly of a type less than 200 microns in thickness that includes a flexible sheet of ceramic material whose periphery forms a peripheral portion of the electrolyte sheet, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.