Finite element thermal stress analysis of solid oxide fuel cell cathode microstructures

Two-dimensional images of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathode microstructures (50:50 wt.% LSM:YSZ) are used to generate three-dimensional finite element (FE) models. An approximate, heuristic scheme is developed to derive a microstructure of 30:70 wt.% LSM:YSZ composition from the original, real microstructures. The derived model is validated by calculating three-phase boundary (TPB) and phase surface area densities by comparing with data available in the literature. Construction of such derived microstructures will provide insights on the effects of phase compositions on the mechanics of electrode structures. The heuristic scheme is not proposed as a replacement for rigorous approaches such as the random packing model, but rather as a simplified approach for deriving reasonably realistic microstructures of different compositions within a limited range of validity. The models are analyzed using finite elements to estimate thermal stresses and probability of failure using Weibull analysis. The effects of temperature-dependent material properties and phase volume fractions on probability of failure of the cathode are discussed. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.