JP5743413B2 - Fuel cell gasket mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell gasket, and more particularly to a mounting structure thereof.

  Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 6, a gasket 51 for a fuel cell which is incorporated in a cell or stack of a fuel cell and seals a fluid such as a fuel gas is molded by a rubber-like elastic body, and an adhesive 52 is used. What is mounted on a gasket mounting member 53 such as a separator is known (see Patent Document 1).

  However, as the adhesive 52 used for such applications, the types that can be used are limited. For example, in a direct methanol fuel cell, an adhesive that has long-term resistance to methanol must be selected. Moreover, since the kind of adhesive is limited, the manufacturing cost is disadvantageous.

  Further, in order to mount the gasket 51 on the mounting member 53 using the adhesive 52, there is a problem that the mounting workability is not good because an adhesive application step is required. Since there is no function of positioning the gasket 51 with respect to the mounting member 53, a separate device is required to keep the mounting position accuracy high.

JP 2004-55276 A

  In view of the above points, the present invention does not use an adhesive when mounting a gasket on a mounting member, and thus can eliminate problems caused by the use of an adhesive, and improves mounting workability and mounting. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell gasket mounting structure capable of realizing both improvements in positional accuracy.

In order to achieve the above object, a gasket mounting structure according to claim 1 of the present invention is a structure for mounting a fuel cell gasket to a gasket mounting member, and has a fitting structure by concavity and convexity fitting, The gasket is attached to the mounting member in a non-adhesive manner with the fitting structure, and the gasket is a rubber-made elastic gasket body integrally formed on a resin film, and the gasket body is a flat plate A base and a seal lip formed integrally on the upper surface of the base, the resin film being connected to one end in the width direction of the base, a recess provided in the resin film, and a corresponding protrusion The gasket is attached to the mounting member in a non-adhering manner by fitting the concave portion and the convex portion, and the mounting member is a separator, Fitting structure according to the fitting, characterized in that it is provided at a position deviated on the plane from the seal line by the sealing lip.

  When mounting a gasket for a fuel cell on a gasket mounting member, a concave portion is provided on one side and a convex portion is provided on the other side, and an adhesive is used when the concave portion and the convex portion are fitted with a predetermined fitting allowance. Even without this, it is possible to mount the gasket on the mounting member. The following can be considered as a form of uneven fitting.

(1) When the gasket is a rubber-only type When the gasket is a rubber-only type, that is, when it is a single-molded product made of a rubber-like elastic body, a convex portion is provided on the gasket, and a corresponding concave portion is provided on the mounting member. By fitting the convex portion and the concave portion, the gasket is mounted on the mounting member without bonding. Further, the concave and convex arrangement is reversed, the gasket is provided with a concave portion, the corresponding convex portion is provided on the mounting member, and the concave portion and the convex portion are fitted to attach the gasket to the mounting member without bonding. In general, since the gasket for a fuel cell has a long circumference, a plurality of irregularities are provided on the circumference of the gasket.

  In this case, the gasket has a flat plate-like base portion, a seal lip portion integrally formed on the upper surface of the base portion, and a flat plate-like protruding portion integrally formed so as to protrude from the base portion in the side surface direction. If the projecting portion or the recessed portion is provided on the projecting portion, the fitting structure by fitting the unevenness is provided at a position off the seal line by the gasket. As a comparative example, when a fitting structure is provided immediately below the seal line, the gasket is compressed and deformed to exert a sealing action. Therefore, there is a concern that the fitting structure may inhibit normal compression and deformation of the gasket. According to, this concern can be resolved.

(2) When the gasket is a film-integrated gasket When the gasket is a film-integrated gasket, that is, when the gasket body made of rubber-like elastic material is molded integrally with a resin film, a recess is provided in the resin film. The mounting member is provided with a convex portion, and the concave portion and the convex portion are fitted to each other so that the gasket is mounted on the mounting member without bonding. In general, since the gasket for a fuel cell has a long circumference, a plurality of irregularities are provided on the circumference of the gasket.

  In this case, if the resin film is formed integrally with the gasket main body at one end in the width direction, and a recess is provided on the plane of the film excluding the one end, the fitting structure by fitting the unevenness is obtained. It is provided at a position off the seal line by the gasket body. As a comparative example, when a fitting structure is provided immediately below the seal line, the gasket main body compresses and deforms and exerts a sealing action, so there is a concern that the fitting structure hinders normal compressive deformation of the gasket main body, According to the said structure, this concern can be eliminated.

  The convex portion which is one of the components of the fitting structure includes a protrusion provided on the gasket or the mounting member, and the other concave portion is a through hole or a bottomed hole provided on the gasket, the mounting member or the resin film. Including depressions.

  Gasket mounting members include separators, stack end plates, current collector plates, insulating plates, MEAs, GDLs, resin reinforcements, resin films, other protective members or reinforcement members incorporated in cells or stacks, fluid introduction A flange member or a composite member thereof is included.

  The present invention has the following effects.

  That is, in the mounting structure of the present invention, as described above, since the gasket is mounted on the mounting member in a non-adhesive manner with a fitting structure with a concave-convex fitting, problems due to the use of an adhesive can be eliminated. That is, it is possible to provide a product that is advantageous in terms of cost because an operation for selecting and obtaining an adhesive is omitted and an expensive adhesive is not required. Moreover, the application | coating process of an adhesive agent is abbreviate | omitted, and since fitting of an unevenness | corrugation is one-touch, mounting workability | operativity can be improved. Further, the gasket can be accurately positioned with respect to the mounting member by fitting the unevenness. Moreover, when providing a fitting structure in the position remove | deviated from the seal line, it can prevent that a fitting structure inhibits the normal compressive deformation of a gasket or a gasket main body.

The top view of the component for fuel cells provided with the mounting structure which concerns on 1st Example of this invention FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 1, (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a state before fitting, and (B) is a cross-sectional view showing a state after fitting. It is sectional drawing which shows the mounting structure which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention, Comprising: (A) is sectional drawing which shows the state before fitting, (B) is sectional drawing which shows the state after fitting The top view of the component for fuel cells provided with the mounting structure which concerns on 3rd Example of this invention FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 4, (A) is a sectional view showing a state before fitting, and (B) is a sectional view showing a state after fitting. Sectional drawing which shows the mounting structure which concerns on a prior art example

  The present invention includes the following embodiments.

(1) As a gasket for a fuel cell, in addition to a metal separator and a resin separator, GDL (gas diffusion layer), MEA (membrane electrode assembly), or a resin film for reinforcing these, in order to improve handling Many gaskets, etc., in which rubber is integrally formed on a resin frame have been proposed. However, these gaskets need to be integrated with an adhesive if only one side is integrated in the surface direction of the members to be integrated. Moreover, when integrating on both surfaces, it will fix | immobilize by non-bonding integration or adhesion | attachment through a through hole. In a direct methanol fuel cell, it is difficult to select an adhesive that has long-term resistance to methanol, and in a PEM fuel cell, it may be difficult to select an adhesive in a high temperature type. On the other hand, a rubber elastic body or the like can be produced at low cost, but has a man-hour due to poor handling when assembled between separators and MEAs, resulting in an increase in the assembly cost of the fuel cell body. was there.

(2)
(2-1) A fuel cell gasket in which a single gasket is mounted on a member to be sealed with a fitting structure.
(2-2) A gasket for a fuel cell in which a gasket is integrated with a member for reinforcing the gasket, and the integrated member is attached to a member to be sealed.
(2-3) The gasket has a protrusion shape for fitting and mounting at the attachment portion to the member to be sealed, while the through hole or cross section for fitting and mounting the gasket protrusion on the mounting member is concave. The gasket for a fuel cell according to the above (2-1) or (2-2), characterized by comprising:
(2-4) The gasket has a through-hole or a concave cross-sectional shape for fitting and mounting at the attachment portion to the member to be sealed, and on the other hand, the mounting member is fitted and mounted with the through-hole or cross-sectional concave shape of the gasket. The gasket for a fuel cell according to the above (2-1) or (2-2), wherein the gasket has a protruding shape.
(2-5) The above-described (2-1), (2-2), (2-3) or (2-4), wherein the gasket is formed from a material suitable for a fuel cell such as fluorine-based rubber, silicone, or EPDM. Gasket for fuel cell.
(2-6) Protection that the seal mounting member is made of metal or conductive resin separator, stack end plate, current collector plate, insulating plate, MEA, GDL, resin reinforcement, resin film, and other cells or stacks , Reinforcing member, flange member for introducing fluid, or a composite member of these, (2-1) (2-2) (2-3) (2-4) or (2-5) gasket for fuel cell .

(3) The gasket itself is provided with protrusions, depressions or holes for mounting on the seal mounting member, and the seal mounting member is similarly provided with depressions, holes or protrusions for fitting and mounting the gasket. Thus, the gasket can be fixed to the fuel cell member without adhesion. Further, as described above, a self-adhesive gasket is integrally formed on the resin film having the fitting hole, and the integrated gasket is fixed to the mounting member by the fitting hole provided in the film. it can. In the case of a through hole, the fitting portion of the gasket or the seal mounting member can be made irrelevant to the sealing performance of the portion by arranging the fitting portion outside the portion to be sealed.

(4) According to the above configuration, a gasket in which a rubber elastic body or the like is integrated without using an adhesive for a gasket alone or a resin film can be manufactured at a relatively low cost, and is a non-adhesive integrated member. Easy to install. This is particularly effective when there is no mounting groove or for gaskets used in small parallel cells.

(5) The present invention relates to a gasket structure for a fuel cell, and achieves improved mounting of a rubber-only gasket or a film-integrated gasket on a plate and improved positional accuracy. As a method of forming a gasket on a separator of a fuel cell, a method of integrally molding a gasket on a separator is currently the mainstream, but on the other hand, in the case of a fragile plate such as a carbon separator, damage to the plate during molding is reduced. In consideration of this, it is also possible to attach a gasket manufactured separately to the separator. In the case of rubber-only gaskets, the handleability is not good, so the structure is aimed at improving the handleability, such as making the gasket rigid as a film-integrated type, but the area of the plane is different from that of a fuel cell gasket. If it is larger than a certain level, there are drawbacks such as handling problems and difficulty in positioning. The present invention is aimed at improving the mounting accuracy and positional accuracy of a rubber-only gasket or a film-integrated gasket to a separator. Specifically, in the case of a rubber-only gasket as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, a through hole is provided on the gasket side and a convex part is provided on the separator side as shown in FIG. In the case of the film-integrated type as shown in FIG. 5, the structure is such that a through hole is provided in the film and a convex portion is provided on the separator side for fitting.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First embodiment ...
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a fuel cell component having a mounting structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

  The mounting structure according to this embodiment is a mounting structure for mounting the fuel cell gasket 11 to the gasket mounting member 21, and has a fitting structure 31 by fitting of irregularities. The gasket 11 is mounted on the mounting member 21 without being bonded. As shown in FIG. 1, the gasket 11 is a planar rectangular endless body, and has a considerably long circumference. A plurality of fitting structures 31 (14 locations in the figure) are spaced at predetermined intervals along the circumference. Is provided.

  The gasket 11 is a rubber-only type gasket, that is, is molded as a single-piece product made of a rubber-like elastic body such as fluorine-based rubber, silicone-based rubber, or EPDM. As shown in FIG. The convex portion 15 is provided, and the corresponding concave portion 22 is provided in the mounting member 21. The gasket 11 is mounted on the mounting member 21 in a non-adhesive manner by fitting the convex portion 15 and the concave portion 22 with a predetermined fitting margin. Has been.

  In addition, the gasket 11 is integrally molded so as to project from the base 12 to one side in the side surface direction, a flat plate-shaped base 12, a seal lip 13 having a triangular section integrally formed on the upper surface of the base 12. A flat projecting portion 14 is integrally formed, and a convex portion 15 is provided on the lower surface of the projecting portion 14 so as to face downward. Therefore, the fitting structure 31 by fitting the unevenness is provided at a position off the plane from the seal line SL (FIG. 1) by the gasket 11. The seal line SL is set in a line shape with its contact width when the seal lip portion 13 comes into contact with a contact partner member during stack assembly. In addition, although the overhang | projection part 14 is provided with multiple (14 places in a figure) along the circumference of the gasket 11 according to arrangement | positioning of the fitting structure 31, it is integrally molded over the perimeter of the gasket 11. FIG. One piece may be sufficient. Moreover, although the overhang | projection part 14 has protruded to the outer side (outer peripheral side) of the gasket 11, it may protrude to an inner side (inner peripheral side).

  Examples of the gasket mounting member 21 include a separator, a stack end plate, a current collector plate, an insulating plate, MEA, GDL, a resin reinforcing body, a resin film, a protective member or a reinforcing member incorporated in a cell or a stack, and a flange for introducing a fluid. A member, or a composite member thereof.

  In the gasket mounting structure having the above configuration, the gasket 11 is mounted on the mounting member 21 only by the fitting structure 31 that fits the convex portion 15 and the concave portion 22 without using an adhesive. Therefore, since the gasket 11 is mounted on the mounting member 21 with only the fitting structure 31 by fitting the unevenness, and the inconvenience due to the use of the adhesive can be eliminated, that is, the selection and acquisition of the adhesive. Since an expensive adhesive is not required, a product that is advantageous in terms of cost can be provided. Moreover, the application | coating process of an adhesive agent is abbreviate | omitted, and since fitting of an unevenness | corrugation is one-touch, mounting workability | operativity can be improved. Further, the gasket 11 can be accurately positioned with respect to the mounting member 21 by fitting the unevenness. In addition, since the fitting structure 31 is provided at a position off the seal line SL of the gasket 11, the fitting structure 31 does not hinder normal compressive deformation of the gasket 11.

Second embodiment ...
In the first embodiment, the convex portion 15 is provided on the gasket 11 and the concave portion 22 is provided on the mounting member 21. However, the arrangement of the concave and convex portions may be reversed, that is, as shown in FIG. 11 may be provided with a recess 16 and a mounting member 21 with a protrusion 23. Moreover, a convex part and a recessed part may be provided alternately on the circumference.

Third embodiment ...
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a fuel cell component having a mounting structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

  The mounting structure according to this embodiment is a mounting structure for mounting a gasket 41 for a fuel cell to the gasket mounting member 21, and has a fitting structure 31 by fitting unevenness. The gasket 41 is mounted on the mounting member 21 without being bonded. As shown in FIG. 4, the gasket 41 is a planar rectangular endless body, and has a long circumference. Therefore, a plurality of fitting structures 31 (four places in the figure) are spaced at predetermined intervals along the circumference. Is provided.

  The gasket 41 is a film-integrated type gasket, that is, a gasket body 42 made of a rubber-like elastic body such as fluorine-based rubber, silicone-based rubber or EPDM is integrally formed on a reinforcing resin film 45. 5, the resin film 45 is provided with a recess 46 and a corresponding projection 23 is provided on the mounting member 21, and the recess 46 and the projection 23 are fitted with a predetermined fitting allowance to be non-adhered. Thus, the gasket 41 is mounted on the mounting member 21.

  The resin film 45 is disposed on the entire outer periphery of the gasket main body 42, and the gasket main body 42 is integrally formed at one end (inner peripheral end) 45a in the width direction. A recess 46 is provided on the plane of the film 45 excluding the one end 45a. Accordingly, the fitting structure 31 by fitting the unevenness is provided at a position off the plane from the seal line SL (FIG. 4) by the gasket body. The seal line SL is set in a line shape with the contact width when the seal lip portion 44 of the gasket main body 42 contacts the contact partner member during stack assembly. The gasket main body 42 integrally includes a flat plate-like base portion 43 and a seal lip portion 44 having a triangular cross section integrally formed on the upper surface of the base portion 43, and one end portion (outer peripheral end portion) of the base portion 43 in the width direction. The resin film 45 is connected to the above.

  The mounting member 21 includes a separator, a stack end plate, a current collector plate, an insulating plate, MEA, GDL, a resin reinforcing body, a resin film, and other protective members or reinforcing members incorporated in the cell or in the stack, and a fluid introducing flange member In the figure, a separator including the manifold portion 25 and the reaction portion 26 is drawn, and the gasket 41 seals the opening peripheral portion of the manifold portion 25.

  In the gasket mounting structure configured as described above, the gasket 41 is mounted on the mounting member 21 only by the fitting structure 31 that fits the concave portion 46 and the convex portion 23 without using an adhesive. Therefore, since the gasket 41 is mounted on the mounting member 21 with only the fitting structure 31 by fitting the unevenness, and the adhesive 41 is mounted on the mounting member 21, the inconvenience due to the use of the adhesive can be eliminated. Since an expensive adhesive is not required, a product that is advantageous in terms of cost can be provided. Moreover, the application | coating process of an adhesive agent is abbreviate | omitted, and since fitting of an unevenness | corrugation is one-touch, mounting workability | operativity can be improved. Further, the gasket 41 can be accurately positioned with respect to the mounting member 21 by fitting the unevenness. Further, since the fitting structure 31 is provided at a position off the seal line SL of the gasket body 42, the fitting structure 31 does not hinder normal compression deformation of the gasket body 42. Further, since the gasket 41 is formed by integrally molding a gasket main body 42 made of a rubber-like elastic body on a reinforcing resin film 45, it is only flexible and therefore has good workability.

  In addition, in common with each said Example, although the convex parts 15 and 23 fitted to the recessed parts 16, 22, and 46 are made into the structure where the front-end | tip protrudes on the opposite side of the recessed parts 16, 22, and 46, it protrudes. In this case, the convex portions 15 and 23 are formed with a small height. In addition, when the tips of the convex portions 15 and 23 protrude to the opposite side of the concave portions 16, 22, and 46, add a retaining structure by increasing the size of the tip or providing a small projection on the side surface of the tip. Is also possible. In each of the above embodiments, the recesses 16, 22, and 46 are formed as through-holes, but a bottomed recess (dent) or the like may be used instead.

11, 41 Gasket 12, 43 Base portion 13, 44 Seal lip portion 14 Overhang portion 15, 23 Protrusion portion 16, 22, 46 Recess portion 21 Gasket mounting member 25 Manifold portion 26 Reaction portion 31 Fitting structure 42 Gasket body 45 Resin film 45a One end Part

Claims (1)

A structure for mounting a fuel cell gasket on a gasket mounting member,
It has a fitting structure by concavity and convexity fitting, and the fitting structure is non-adhesively attached to the attachment member,
The gasket is formed by integrally molding a gasket main body made of a rubber-like elastic body on a resin film, and the gasket main body has a flat base portion and a seal lip portion integrally formed on the upper surface of the base portion. The resin film is connected to one end in the width direction of the base,
A concave portion is provided in the resin film, a corresponding convex portion is provided in the mounting member, and the gasket is attached to the mounting member in a non-adhesive manner by fitting the concave portion and the convex portion,
The mounting member is a separator;
2. A fuel cell gasket mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the concave and convex fitting structure is provided at a position off the plane from the seal line by the seal lip portion.

Images