PSI - Issue 77

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 77 (2026) 593–600 Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000–000 Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000–000

www.elsevier.com / locate / procedia www.elsevier.com / locate / procedia

International Conference on Structural Integrity Hydrogen Cell Structural Health Monitoring: Experimental methods to define locations for integrated sensors Joa˜o Nunes a, ∗ , Pedro J. S. C. P. Sousa a,b , Susana Dias a , JobSilva a , Daniel F. O. Braga a , Tiago Domingues a , Kalyan Y. Mitra c , Georg Buchecker c , Thomas Kuwatsch d ,Martin International Conference on Structural Integrity Hydrogen Cell Structural Health Monitoring: Experimental methods to define locations for integrated sensors Joa˜o Nunes a, ∗ , Pedro J. S. C. P. Sousa a,b , Susana Dias a , JobSilva a , Daniel F. O. Braga a , Tiago Domingues a , Kalyan Y. Mitra c , Georg Buchecker c , Thomas Kuwatsch d ,Martin

Schu¨ller e , Paulo J. Tavares a , Pedro M. G. J. Moreira a a INEGI, Campus da FEUP, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias 400, Porto, 4200-465, Portugal c Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS, Chemnitz, Germany d Ari Motors GmbH, Borna, Germany e Automationstechnik Schu¨ller GmbH, Chemnitz, Germany Schu¨ller e , Paulo J. Tavares a , Pedro M. G. J. Moreira a a INEGI, Campus da FEUP, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias 400, Porto, 4200-465, Portugal c Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS, Chemnitz, Germany d Ari Motors GmbH, Borna, Germany e Automationstechnik Schu¨ller GmbH, Chemnitz, Germany

b Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s b Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s

/ n, Porto, 4200-465, Portugal / n, Porto, 4200-465, Portugal

© 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers Abstract Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) are widely assumed as a clean alternative energy source to fossil fuels, being expected to be a growing field in the future. Integrity assessment of these devices during operation is a critical parameter to ensure proper functioning and maximisation of overall e ffi ciency. Commonly, hydrogen cells are assembled into multiple stacks to in crease power generation capabilities. The assembly load can cause structural and physical conditions that impact key performance parameters such as water, reactants, electrons and heat transfer. In this context, the present work explores the application of di ff er ent structural integrity assessment methods to monitor critical parameters and their most relevant monitoring locations. Through di ff erent experimental methods, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of a commercial cell under operating conditions. Digital Image Correlation (DIC), thermographic imaging, thermocouples, and strain gauges were em ployed to monitor mechanical and thermal responses during short-term operation. The resulting data can also support numerical simulations, which is particularly valuable given the complexity of this use case. © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http: // creativecommons.org / licenses / by-nc-nd / 4.0 / ) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers. Keywords: Proton Exchange Membrane Hydrogen Cell; Structural Health Monitoring; Experimental Mechanics; Digital Image Correlation; Thermography Abstract Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) are widely assumed as a clean alternative energy source to fossil fuels, being expected to be a growing field in the future. Integrity assessment of these devices during operation is a critical parameter to ensure proper functioning and maximisation of overall e ffi ciency. Commonly, hydrogen cells are assembled into multiple stacks to in crease power generation capabilities. The assembly load can cause structural and physical conditions that impact key performance parameters such as water, reactants, electrons and heat transfer. In this context, the present work explores the application of di ff er ent structural integrity assessment methods to monitor critical parameters and their most relevant monitoring locations. Through di ff erent experimental methods, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of a commercial cell under operating conditions. Digital Image Correlation (DIC), thermographic imaging, thermocouples, and strain gauges were em ployed to monitor mechanical and thermal responses during short-term operation. The resulting data can also support numerical simulations, which is particularly valuable given the complexity of this use case. © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http: // creativecommons.org / licenses / by-nc-nd / 4.0 / ) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers. Keywords: Proton Exchange Membrane Hydrogen Cell; Structural Health Monitoring; Experimental Mechanics; Digital Image Correlation; Thermography

1. Introduction 1. Introduction

A proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is an electrochemical device that converts hydrogen and oxygen energy into electricity without generating pollutants [1, 2]. When renewable hydrogen is used as input, the entire A proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is an electrochemical device that converts hydrogen and oxygen energy into electricity without generating pollutants [1, 2]. When renewable hydrogen is used as input, the entire

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.01.075 ∗ Corresponding author E-mail address: jtnunes@inegi.up.pt 2210-7843 © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http: // creativecommons.org / licenses / by-nc-nd / 4.0 / ) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers. ∗ Corresponding author E-mail address: jtnunes@inegi.up.pt 2210-7843 © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http: // creativecommons.org / licenses / by-nc-nd / 4.0 / ) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSI organizers.