Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Jaguar Cars Limited

Daniel Edward Wilkosz

Dawn Roberta White

Matthew John Zaluzec

Jun Yang

Shinichi Hirano

Oludele Olusegun Popoola

Chunchuan Xu

Larry V Reatherford

Zijie Lu

Arnon Wexler

Sankaran Subramaniam

Jan Birger Skogsmo

Vijitha Seraka Kiridena

Ronald David Brost

Larry Van Reatherford

Elizabeth Therese Hetrick

Thomas Alan Wagner

Ronald Paul Cooper

Benjamin Pence

Valerie Anne Nelson

Mark Stephen Ricketts

Michael Allen DeBolt

Jan Skogsmo

Robert Koehl

Edgar De Vries

Valerie Ann Nelson

Thomas Michel Dalka

Joseph Walsh

A fuel cell includes a plurality of unit cells disposed in a stack. Each unit cell includes a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) having an anode and a cathode and a bipolar plate having a cathode side defining a recessed pocket in fluid communication with an air port, an anode side, and coolant channels between the cathode and anode sides. The bipolar plate is disposed against the MEA such that the cathode is disposed over the pocket. A flow guide is disposed in the pocket with a front side facing the MEA and a back side facing a bottom of the pocket. The flow guide has a plurality of embossments.

Bipolar plate for fuel cell

A bipolar plate for a fuel cell includes an anode plate and a cathode plate. The anode plate has hydrogen flow channels on a first side of the anode plate and coolant channels on a second side of the anode plate. The cathode plate has a first side disposed against the second side of the anode plate to cover the coolant channels and has a second side defining a recessed pocket configured to receive a stream of air. A flow guide is disposed in the pocket such that an inlet manifold is formed along a first edge of the flow guide and an outlet manifold is formed along a second edge of the flow guide. The flow guide defines channels extending from the inlet manifold to the outlet manifold. A plurality of openings is defined by through the flow guide.

Systems and methods for forming a workpiece are disclosed. The system may include a fixture assembly for receiving a workpiece having opposing first and second surfaces, first and second tools, and a vibration source configured to vibrate the first and/or second tool. The first and second tools may be configured to move along first and second predetermined paths of motion as the first and/or second tool is vibrated by the vibration source and may exert force on the first and second surfaces to form the workpiece. The method may include vibrating a tool using a vibration source and moving the vibrating tool and another tool along first and second forming paths to form the workpiece. The vibration source may be an ultrasonic transducer and may vibrate the tool at a frequency of at least 1 kHz.

Vibration assisted free form fabrication

A fuel cell assembly including a plate assembly having an anode inlet, a cathode inlet, a first coolant inlet, and a second coolant inlet is provided. The first coolant inlet is located adjacent the anode inlet on a first plate side. The second coolant inlet is located adjacent the cathode inlet on a second plate side. The inlets are arranged such that coolant influences reactant temperature at the anode and cathode inlets to encourage formation of a membrane uniform hydration distribution during fuel cell operation. The fuel cell assembly may include a hydrogen channel, an oxygen channel, and a coolant channel. The coolant channel may extend between the hydrogen channel and the oxygen channel to draw heat from hydrogen and oxygen flowing therethrough and such that the hydrogen and oxygen are close enough to one another for chemical reaction therebetween.

Assembly for thermal management of a fuel cell

A fuel cell assembly includes a pair of corrugated bipolar plates. Each of the plates is defined by peak portions and sidewalls connecting the peak portions. The plates are fitted and nested within each other such that the sidewalls are in direct contact. Some of the sidewalls include a stepped shoulder portion such that each of the some of the sidewalls and the peak portions adjacent thereto form a stair-step profile and define a flow channel having a depth greater than a width.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell with stepped channel bipolar plate

A fuel cell stack includes a membrane electrode assembly and a bipolar plate. The bipolar plate has a corrugated portion defined by an adjacent pair of proximal and distal peak portions and a sidewall segment connecting the peak portions. The sidewall segment and membrane electrode assembly at least partially define a flow channel. The sidewall segment includes a shoulder portion defining a step spaced away from the peak portions.

An ultrasonic welding apparatus having an extractable sonotrode. The sonotrode having a non-threaded outer peripheral surface and a tapered mating surface that meets with a correspondingly tapered aperture formed in the end of the reed of the ultrasonic welding apparatus. In the preferred embodiment the ultrasonic welding apparatus includes a sonotrode removal mechanism for extracting the sonotrode from the reed.

Ultrasonic welding apparatus

A method and apparatus for joining multiple layers of materials using an ultrasonic welding apparatus. The ultrasonic welding apparatus utilizes a sonotrode to perform a weld between at least the top and intermediate layer of the multi-layer member. Then, either the multi-layer member or the ultrasonic welding apparatus is rotated such that the bottom layer is positioned adjacent the sonotrode wherein the sonotrode forms a weld between at least the bottom layer and intermediate layer of the multi-layer member. The apparatus includes an ultrasonic welding gun having a C-shape frame including a base portion and a head portion. An ultrasonic welding device, including a sonotrode, is secured to the head portion and an anvil secured to the base portion. The ultrasonic welding gun is connected to a robot operative to position the ultrasonic welding gun to perform the welding operation.

Apparatus and method for joining layers of materials

An apparatus for ultrasonically welding workpieces that reduces sonotrode adhesion during the ultrasonic welding process. The sonotrode tip has a specific surface configuration, including a curvilinear shaped outer surface combined with a plurality of grooves and lands. Due to the curvilinear surface, the depth of the grooves gradually decreases near the outer edge or periphery of a contact surface of the sonotrode tip. Further, such a groove and land combination also provides a sharp edge or corner that reduces sliding of the tip on the workpiece and correspondingly reduces sticking. In addition, various types of coatings or inserts may also be used to reduce sticking of the sonotrode tip to the workpiece.

A motor vehicle structural energy absorbing member (,) is light weight and is made in a manner to produce random or directionally oriented, elongated pores or voids (,) in a structural matrix (,) in a manner that permits tailoring of impact energy absorption in one or more direction(s) to provide an integral energy absorbing region.

Motor vehicle energy absorbing member

A method of solid free form fabrication of an object includes the steps of providing a substrate, forming a plurality of molten droplets, and spraying the molten droplets upward against the substrate to form a net shape object.

Method of solid free form fabrication of objects

An electrochemical method of modifying the surface hardness of a non-allotropic metal member 10, comprising: (a) forming the member to near net-shape with at least one surface 12 to be hardened; (b) subjecting the surface 12 to rapid melting and resolidification by incidence of an electrical discharge between an electrode 16 and the surface 12 closely spaced thereto, the spacing containing an electrolyte with plasma forming capability, the surface 12 being hardened by crystallographic change of the globules resulting from substitutional alloying; and (c) cropping the surface grains 29 of the surface to increase load bearing capacity while retaining liquid retention capacity.

Electrochemical hardness modification of non-allotropic metal surfaces

A method of electric arc spraying metal upon an article. The method comprises providing an article to be sprayed, providing a supply of fusible metal feedstock, providing a metal feedstock feeding device, and providing a substrate of conductive heat resistant material. The substrate has a centrally disposed orifice extending therethrough. A source of electrical current is provided having a first electrode electrically coupled with an end of the metal feedstock, and a second electrode electrically coupled with the plate of conductive material. The source of current is activated to establish an electric arc between the metal feedstock and the plate of conductive material. The electrical arc creates a droplet spray of metal from the metal feedstock. The droplet spray is directed through the orifice in the substrate towards the article. The power supply is periodically pulsed between a first current and a second current.

Depositing metal upon an article

A method for producing a composite mandrel (20) for use in creating a precise set of surface features inside a hot isostatic pressed (HIP) billet for producing a desired tool uses a composite nickel shell (16) and ceramic interior (18). A free form fabrication (FFF) or wax positive pattern (10) of the desired tool is made first, then a layer of nickel is deposited on the surface of the FFF positive pattern to produce a nickel shell (16) which is a negative of the desired tool. The final step in creating the composite mandrel (20) is filling the nickel shell (16) with ceramic material (18) to increase the rigidity of the nickel shell thereby forming a mandrel for use in an HIP process to make the desired tool.

Growing community of inventors

Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America

Daniel Edward Wilkosz