Modeling and Analysis of a Piezoelectric Energy Scavenger for Rotary Motion Applications

2010 ◽  
Vol 133 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Khameneifar ◽  
M. Moallem ◽  
S. Arzanpour

This paper presents modeling and analysis of a piezoelectric mounted rotary flexible beam that can be used as an energy scavenger for rotary motion applications. The energy harvester system consists of a piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam with a tip mass mounted on a rotating hub. Assuming Euler–Bernoulli beam equations and considering the effect of a piezoelectric transducer, equations of motion are derived using the Lagrangian approach followed by relationships describing the harvested power. The equations provide a quantitative description of how the hub acceleration and gravity due to the tip mass contribute power to the energy harvester. In particular, expressions describing optimum load resistance and the maximum power that can be harvested using the proposed system are derived. Numerical simulations are performed to show the performance of the harvester by obtaining tip velocities and electrical output voltages for a range of electrical load resistances and rotational speeds. It is shown that by proper sizing and parameter selection, the proposed system can supply enough energy for operating wireless sensors in rotating mechanisms such as tires and turbines.

Micromachines ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinda Jia ◽  
Xiaobiao Shan ◽  
Deepesh Upadrashta ◽  
Tao Xie ◽  
Yaowen Yang ◽  
...  

This paper presents an upright piezoelectric energy harvester (UPEH) with cylinder extension along its longitudinal direction. The UPEH can generate energy from low-speed wind by bending deformation produced by vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs). The UPEH has the advantages of less working space and ease of setting up an array over conventional vortex-induced vibration harvesters. The nonlinear distributed modeling method is established based on Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and aerodynamic vortex-induced force of the cylinder is obtained by the van der Pol wake oscillator theory. The fluid–solid–electricity governing coupled equations are derived using Lagrange’s equation and solved through Galerkin discretization. The effect of cylinder gravity on the dynamic characteristics of the UPEH is also considered using the energy method. The influences of substrate dimension, piezoelectric dimension, the mass of cylinder extension, and electrical load resistance on the output performance of harvester are studied using the theoretical model. Experiments were carried out and the results were in good agreement with the numerical results. The results showed that a UPEH configuration achieves the maximum power of 635.04 μW at optimum resistance of 250 kΩ when tested at a wind speed of 4.20 m/s. The theoretical results show that the UPEH can get better energy harvesting output performance with a lighter tip mass of cylinder, and thicker and shorter substrate in its synchronization working region. This work will provide the theoretical guidance for studying the array of multiple upright energy harvesters.


Author(s):  
Paulo S. Varoto ◽  
Andreza T. Mineto

It is known that the best performance of a given piezoelectric energy harvester is usually limited to excitation at its fundamental resonance frequency. If the ambient vibration frequency deviates slightly from this resonance condition then the electrical power delivered is drastically reduced. One possible way to increase the frequency range of operation of the harvester is to design vibration harvesters that operate in the nonlinear regime. The main goal of this article is to discuss the potential advantages of introducing nonlinearities in the dynamics of a beam type piezoelectric vibration energy harvester. The device is a cantilever beam partially covered by piezoelectric material with a magnet tip mass at the beam’s free end. Governing equations of motion are derived for the harvester considering the excitation applied at its fixed boundary. Also, we consider the nonlinear constitutive piezoelectric equations in the formulation of the harvester’s electromechanical model. This model is then used in numerical simulations and the results are compared to experimental data from tests on a prototype. Numerical as well as experimental results obtained support the general trend that structural nonlinearities can improve the harvester’s performance.


Author(s):  
Hichem Abdelmoula ◽  
Nathan Sharpes ◽  
Hyeon Lee ◽  
Abdessattar Abdelkefi ◽  
Shashank Priya

We design and experimentally validate a zigzag piezoelectric energy harvester that can generate energy at low frequencies and which can be used to operate low-power consumption electronic devices. The harvester is composed of metal and piezoelectric layers and is used to harvest energy through direct excitations. A computational model is developed using Abaqus to determine the exact mode shapes and coupled frequencies of the considered energy harvester in order to design a broadband torsion-bending mechanical system. Analysis is then performed to determine the optimal load resistance. The computational results are compared and validated with the experimental measurements. More detailed analysis is then carried out to investigate the effects of the masses on the bending and torsion natural frequencies of the harvester and generated power levels. The results show that due to the coupling between the bending and torsion modes of the zigzag structure, highest levels of the harvested power are obtained when the excitation frequency matches the coupled frequency of torsion type for three different values of the tip mass.


Author(s):  
Kamal Jahani ◽  
Parisa Aghazadeh

In this work, the effects of joint characteristics on the performance of a nonlinear piezoelectric energy harvester are investigated numerically. Large amplitude deflection unimorph beam with a tip mass and a nonlinear piezoelectric layer is considered as an energy harvester. By applying Euler-Lagrange equation and the Gauss’s law, mechanical and electrical equations of motion are obtained respectively, under two scenarios, i.e. with an ideal (rigid) joint and with a flexible one. A numerical approach is followed to investigate the effects of each nonlinear parameter of the harvester (stiffness, damping and piezoelectric coefficient) on harvested power. Results show that considering ideal joint between harvester and base structure leads to overestimating the maximum output power and the range of effective excitation frequency.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 5077
Author(s):  
David Omooria Masara ◽  
Hassan El Gamal ◽  
Ossama Mokhiamar

This paper presents a new way to design a broadband harvester for harvesting high energy over a low-frequency range of 10–15 Hz. The design comprises a cantilever beam with two parallel grooves to form three dissimilar length parallel branches, each with an unequal concentrated tip mass. The piezoelectric material covers the whole length on both sides of the beam to form a bimorph. Appropriate geometry and mass magnitudes are obtained by a parametric study using the Finite Element Method. The design was simulated in COMSOL Multiphysics to study its response. The first three bending modes were utilized in energy harvesting, resulting in three power peaks at their respective fundamental frequencies. The adequate load resistance determined was 5.62 kΩ, at which maximum power can be harvested. The proposed harvester was compared to two other harvesters presented in the literature for validation: First, an optimized conventional harvester while the proposed harvester is operating at adequate load resistance. Second, a multimodal harvester, while the proposed harvester is operating at a 10 kΩ load. The suggested harvester proved to be more efficient by harvesting sufficiently higher broadband energy and is applicable in a wide range of vibration environments because of its adaptability in design.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 3861
Author(s):  
Jie Mei ◽  
Qiong Fan ◽  
Lijie Li ◽  
Dingfang Chen ◽  
Lin Xu ◽  
...  

With the rapid development of wearable electronics, novel power solutions are required to adapt to flexible surfaces for widespread applications, thus flexible energy harvesters have been extensively studied for their flexibility and stretchability. However, poor power output and insufficient sensitivity to environmental changes limit its widespread application in engineering practice. A doubly clamped flexible piezoelectric energy harvester (FPEH) with axial excitation is therefore proposed for higher power output in a low-frequency vibration environment. Combining the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and the D’Alembert principle, the differential dynamic equation of the doubly clamped energy harvester is derived, in which the excitation mode of axial load with pre-deformation is considered. A numerical solution of voltage amplitude and average power is obtained using the Rayleigh–Ritz method. Output power of 22.5 μW at 27.1 Hz, with the optimal load resistance being 1 MΩ, is determined by the frequency sweeping analysis. In order to power electronic devices, the converted alternating electric energy should be rectified into direct current energy. By connecting to the MDA2500 standard rectified electric bridge, a rectified DC output voltage across the 1 MΩ load resistor is characterized to be 2.39 V. For further validation of the mechanical-electrical dynamical model of the doubly clamped flexible piezoelectric energy harvester, its output performances, including both its frequency response and resistance load matching performances, are experimentally characterized. From the experimental results, the maximum output power is 1.38 μW, with a load resistance of 5.7 MΩ at 27 Hz, and the rectified DC output voltage reaches 1.84 V, which shows coincidence with simulation results and is proved to be sufficient for powering LED electronics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sungryong Bae ◽  
Pilkee Kim

In this study, optimization of the external load resistance of a piezoelectric bistable energy harvester was performed for primary harmonic (period-1T) and subharmonic (period-3T) interwell motions. The analytical expression of the optimal load resistance was derived, based on the spectral analyses of the interwell motions, and evaluated. The analytical results are in excellent agreement with the numerical ones. A parametric study shows that the optimal load resistance depended on the forcing frequency, but not the intensity of the ambient vibration. Additionally, it was found that the optimal resistance for the period-3T interwell motion tended to be approximately three times larger than that for the period-1T interwell motion, which means that the optimal resistance was directly affected by the oscillation frequency (or oscillation period) of the motion rather than the forcing frequency. For broadband energy harvesting applications, the subharmonic interwell motion is also useful, in addition to the primary harmonic interwell motion. In designing such piezoelectric bistable energy harvesters, the frequency dependency of the optimal load resistance should be considered properly depending on ambient vibrations.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107754632199358
Author(s):  
Ali Fasihi ◽  
Majid Shahgholi ◽  
Saeed Ghahremani

The potential of absorbing and harvesting energy from a two-degree-of-freedom airfoil using an attachment of a nonlinear energy sink and a piezoelectric energy harvester is investigated. The equations of motion of the airfoil coupled with the attachment are solved using the harmonic balance method. Solutions obtained by this method are compared to the numerical ones of the pseudo-arclength continuation method. The effects of parameters of the integrated nonlinear energy sink-piezoelectric attachment, namely, the attachment location, nonlinear energy sink mass, nonlinear energy sink damping, and nonlinear energy sink stiffness on the dynamical behavior of the airfoil system are studied for both subcritical and supercritical Hopf bifurcation cases. Analyses demonstrate that absorbing vibration and harvesting energy are profoundly affected by the nonlinear energy sink parameters and the location of the attachment.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Jiun Su ◽  
Jia-Han Lin ◽  
Wei-Chang Li

This paper investigates a piezoelectric energy harvester that consists of a piezoelectric cantilever and a tip mass for horizontal rotational motion. Rotational motion results in centrifugal force, which causes the axial load on the beam and alters the resonant frequency of the system. The piezoelectric energy harvester is installed on a rotational hub in three orientations—inward, outward, and tilted configurations—to examine their influence on the performance of the harvester. The theoretical model of the piezoelectric energy harvester is developed to explain the dynamics of the system and experiments are conducted to validate the model. Theoretical and experimental studies are presented with various tilt angles and distances between the harvester and the rotating center. The results show that the installation distance and the tilt angle can be used to adjust the resonant frequency of the system to match the excitation frequency.


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