Effect of flow-field dimensions on the formability of Fe-Ni-Cr alloy as bipolar plate for PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell

The Fe-Ni-Cr alloy is a potential material as bipolar plate for PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cell), and the stamped metallic bipolar plate is a promising candidate instead of traditional graphite due to the advantages of mass production, low cost and excellent performance. The flow-field geometrical dimensions and the operating conditions of the stamp forming have vital influences on the formability of the alloy plate during the stamping process. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the performance of the Fe-Ni-Cr alloy during the stamping process so as to optimize the flow channel dimensions. Effects of channel dimensions and operating conditions on the formability of Fe-Ni-Cr alloy performance are analyzed by numerical simulation method. Furthermore, experiments are conducted to validate the dimension accuracy of numerical methods. The results demonstrate excellent agreement between the experimental and numerical method.