Abstract
Abstract A mechanical fatigue life analysis of the type used for lifetime predictions in structural materials has been adapted to characterize PEM fuel cell membranes. It is shown that a stress vs. cycles-to-failure ( S – N ) curve analysis is capable of: (1) predicting the mechanical durability of PEM membranes under humidity cycling, and (2) assessing the fraction of membrane life remaining in degraded MEAs. Mechanical fatigue testing was performed in a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) at 60 °C and 90% relative humidity (RH) under different values of stress amplitude, and the results were used to plot the S – N curve. The stress amplitude for the S – N curve was then mapped to the equivalent change in RH as a methodology for characterizing membrane mechanical resistance to humidity cycling.
Published Version
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