Characterization of the Dynamic Response of a Fuel Cell Through EMA and Vibration Testing

Advancements in fuel cell (FC) technological capabilities, particularly in operational efficiency, energy density, and systemic integration, have established these systems as critical enablers for next-generation vehicles. Vibrationinduced effects on FCs within such applications represent a primary factor impacting system integration fidelity, operational reliability, and electrochemical stability, and therefore they must be carefully assessed. This study examines a lightweight FC architecture designed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) deployment under vibrational loading conditions, taken as a starting point of the research. Experimental modal analysis (EMA) was conducted to characterize mode shapes, associated natural frequencies, and damping ratios in free-free boundary conditions. These results may enable accurate modelling and simulation of such devices and may be exploited for bigger size FC suitable for automotive applications. Forced vibration testing investigated the system vibrational response to sinusoidal and random excitation profiles for a possible mounting configuration of the FC, also in relation to the FC orientation. The EMA could identify torsional modes, whereas the forced vibration measurements permitted to characterize both the in-plane and out-of-plane dynamic response of the FC, as well as to test the analysis tools. These results are deemed a significant reference for deeper studies on FCs for automotive applications.