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International Fuel Cells, LLC

Gregory R Kline

Richard D Breault

Ronald G Martin

Timothy T Tylaska

Robert P Roche

Gregory C Moore

An improved shackle apparatus that introduces improvements to the basic shackle design to allow for easy attachment to the corner of a flexible membrane such as a sail. The releasable shackle comprises of a body, hook, internal trigger, and mounting lugs. The mounting lugs are located on the shackle body such that the shackle can be attached to the corner of a sail using standard webbing and eliminates the need to install an additional grommet or ring onto the sail. The lugs are oriented such as to position the pivot point of the shackle hook at the projected comer of the sail, or alternatively slightly below the bottom edge of the sail to prevent the foot of the sail from dragging over the deck when connected to a standard deck fitting. The lugs are also arranged in such a manner as to position the pivot point of the shackle hook direct in line with the force vector created by loads on the sail so as to reduce the twisting moment on the shackle body and loadings on the hook and prevent the formation of wrinkles and creases across the sail fabric.

Shackle apparatus

The reactant flow field on the cathode side of a fuel cell assembly is formed from a plate made from carbon particles that are bonded together by a fluorocarbon polymer binder. The cathode reactant flow field is non-porous, and is hydrophobic due to the presence of the poller binder. The carbon particles are preferably carbon flakes which pack together very tightly, and require only a minor amount of the polymer binder to form a solid plate. The plate will provide cathode reactant flow channels, will conduct electrons and heat and will minimize acid absorption in a fuel cell stack due to its hydrophobic nature.

Cathode reactant flow field component for a fuel cell stack

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Ledyard, CT, United States of America

Gregory R Kline