Patent ID: 8343688

Claim:
A polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising: a fuel cell stack including stacked single cell modules, each of the single cell modules containing a membrane electrode assembly, a pair of separator plates sandwiching the membrane electrode assembly, and a seal member arranged between a periphery of the membrane electrode assembly and the pair of separator plates; a first end plate disposed on a first end of the stacked single cell modules; a second end plate disposed on a second end of the stacked single cell modules; a plurality of fastening members fastening the first end plate and the second end plate together; a plurality of first elastic members disposed between the first end plate and the plurality of fastening members, respectively, each of the first elastic members being arranged on a surface of the first end plate corresponding to a region where the seal member is arranged in each of the single cell modules; and a plurality of second elastic members arranged between the first end plate and an end of the fuel cell stack, each of the second elastic members being arranged on a surface of the first end plate corresponding to a region where an electrode portion of the membrane electrode assembly is arranged in each of the single cell modules, wherein each of the first elastic members and second elastic members is arranged such that the load per unit area which is created by the elasticity of each of the first elastic members is lower than the load per unit area which is created by the elasticity of each of the second elastic members, wherein the first elastic members are less numerous than the second elastic members, wherein a recessed portion is formed on an inner surface of the first end plate, wherein an inside bottom surface of the recessed portion is used as an elastic member arrangement region and the plurality of second elastic members are arranged between the inside bottom surface and the end of the fuel cell stack, and wherein the first end plate includes a frame portion disposed on a periphery of the recessed portion on the inner surface of the first end plate, and the frame portion is in contact with the end of the fuel cell stack.