The modeling and analysis of base-excited piezoelectric energy harvesting beams have attracted many researchers with the aim of predicting the electrical output for a given base motion input. Despite this, it is only recently that an accurate model based on the analytical modal analysis method (AMAM) has been developed. Moreover, single-degree-of-freedom models are still being used despite the proven potential for significant error. One major disadvantage of the AMAM is that it is restricted to simple cantilevered uniform-section beams. This paper presents two alternative modeling techniques for energy harvesting beams and uses these techniques in a theoretical study of a bimorph. One of the methods is a novel application of the dynamic stiffness method (DSM) to the modeling of energy harvesting beams. This method is based on the exact solution of the wave equation and so obviates the need for modal transformation. The dynamic stiffness matrix of a uniform-section beam could be used in the modeling of beams with arbitrary boundary conditions or assemblies of beams of different cross sections. The other method is a much-needed reformulation of the AMAM that condenses the analysis to encompass all previously analyzed systems. The Euler–Bernoulli model with piezoelectric coupling is used and the external electrical load is represented by generic linear impedance. Simulations verify that, with a sufficient number of modes included, the AMAM result converges to the DSM result. A theoretical study of a bimorph investigates the effect of the impedance and quantifies the tuning range of the resonance frequencies under variable impedance. The neutralizing effect of a tuned harvester on the vibration at its base is investigated using the DSM. The findings suggest the potential of the novel concept of a variable capacitance adaptive vibration neutralizer that doubles as an adaptive energy harvester. The application of the DSM to more complex systems is illustrated. For the case studied, a significant increase in the power generated was achieved for a given working frequency through the application of a tip rotational restraint, the use of segmented electrodes, and a resized tip mass.

Recent rapid advances in low-power portable electronic applications have motivated researchers and industry to explore schemes to embed an endless power supply mechanism within these systems. These self-charging embedded power supply systems convert ambient energy (vibration, solar, wind, etc) into electrical energy and subsequently provide power to these portable applications. Ambient vibration is one of the most promising sources of energy as it is abundantly present in indoor/outdoor systems. This paper discusses briefly the mathematical model of a bimorph piezoelectric cantilever beam with distributed inertia, and its experimental validation. Research on such a component typically included a tip mass, which reduced the influence of the distributed inertia of the beam and restricted effective operation to low frequencies. The present work excludes the tip mass and only the distributed mass of the harvester is considered. Due to the coupled electromechanical nature of piezoelectric materials, the effects of electrical coupling on the mechanical properties of the harvester are investigated, particularly the dependence of the induced additional stiffness and damping on the electrical load. Both the model and the experimental results show that the resonance frequency and the response amplitude of the harvester exhibit considerable shifts due to the electrical coupling. The experimental work uses both magnitude and Nyquist plots of the electromechanical frequency response functions to thoroughly validate the accuracy and applicability of the distributed parameter model at higher frequencies than previously considered.

With the recent progress in personal care robots, interest in wearable exoskeletons has been increasing due to the demand for assistive technologies generally and specifically to meet the concerns in the increasing ageing society. Despite this global trend, research focus has been on load augmentation for soldiers/workers, assisting trauma patients, paraplegics, spinal cord injured persons and for rehabilitation purposes. Barring the military-focused activities, most of the work to date has focused on medical applications. However, there is a need to shift attention towards the growing needs of elderly people, that is, by realizing assistive exoskeletons that can help them to stay independent and maintain a good quality of life. Therefore, the present article covers the rapidly evolving area of wearable exoskeletons in a holistic manner, for both medical and non-medical applications, so that relevant current developments and future issues can be addressed; this includes how the physical assistance/rehabilitation/compensation can be provided to supplement capabilities in a natural manner. Regulatory guidelines, important for realizing new markets for these emerging technologies, are also explored in this work. For these, emerging international safety requirements are presented for non-medical and medical exoskeleton applications, so that the central requirement of close human-robot interactions can be adequately addressed for the intended tasks to be carried out. An example case study on developing and commercializing wearable exoskeletons to help support living activities of healthy elderly persons is presented to highlight the main issues in non-medical mobility exoskeletons. This also paves the way for the potential future trends to use exoskeletons as physical assistant robots, as covered by the recently published safety standard ISO 13482, to help elderly people perform their activities of daily living.

The paper reviews the present state of knowledge and design techniques and attempts to provide a physical appreciation of the characteristics of bearing performance. The work which has been carried out recently in the United Kingdom, the United States, The Netherlands and Germany is examined and the paper attempts to relate this to experimental results and the practical engine. The possible relationships of components within the engine which affect the conditions of operation and parameters which could lead to improvement of these conditions are suggested and examined, and the possibilities of future work in exploring this area are indicated. Vol182 Pt 3A 52J. CAMPBELL, P. P. LOVE, F. A. MARTIN AND S . 0. RAFIQUE engine tests and the predictions of various theoretical methods. The case studied is the connecting-rod bearing of a Ruston and Hornsby 6VEB-X M k I I I 600-hp 600-rev/min diesel engine* (see Appendix 4.1 and Fig. 4.1) and more specifically the theoretical work referred to was carried out variously at the Glacier Metal Co. Notation b d hmin Jn c L 11. 1 M Ob 0, P ps R r S U

Research into piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting (PVEH) beams has so far largely overlooked the fact that these are, in many practical applications, mechanical absorbers of the vibration of the structure to which they are attached. This paper introduces the novel concept of utilizing a PVEH beam as a tuned mass damper (TMD)—which suppresses a particular vibration mode of a generic host structure over a broad band of excitation frequencies. This device comprises a pair of bimorphs shunted by resistor–capacitor–inductor circuitry. The optimal damping required by this TMD is generated by the PVEH effect of the bimorphs. The theoretical basis of this dual PVEH/TMD beam device is presented and verified by alternative analytical methods. The simulation results demonstrate that the ideal degree of vibration attenuation can be achieved through appropriate tuning of the circuitry for a device whose effective mass is less than 2% of the equivalent modal mass of the host structure. The proposed dual PVEH/TMD beam device combines the relative advantages of the classical (mechanical) TMD and the shunted piezoelectric patch (electrical vibration absorber), presenting the prospect of a functionally more readily adaptable class of ‘electromechanical’ tuned vibration absorbers.

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This paper validates the novel concept of utilising piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting (PVEH) beams as a tuned mass damper (TMD)-which suppresses a particular vibration mode of a generic host structure over a broad band of excitation frequencies. The proposed device comprises a pair of bimorphs shunted by a resistor, capacitor and inductor connected in various alternative circuit configurations. A benchmark for the performance is established through Den Hartog's theory for the optimal damping of a classical TMD. Experimental results demonstrate that such optimal damping is equivalently generated by the PVEH effect for appropriately tuned circuitry. These results correlate reasonably well with the results of a theoretical analysis introduced in a previous paper. The proposed TMD beam device combines the relative advantages of the classical ('mechanical') TMD and the shunted piezoelectric patch ('electrical' vibration absorber), presenting the prospect of a functionally more readily-adaptable class of 'electromechanical' tuned vibration absorbers. Moreover, with further development, this dual PVEH/TMD beam device holds the potential of simultaneous energy storage.& 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. [1,4], apart from the optimal tuning of the device's frequency ω a , the TMD requires the prescription of an optimal level of damping.As discussed in [5], the practical implementation of the correct amount of damping in a TMD makes its design more challenging relative to the neutraliser and, once implemented, such damping may be difficult to adjust in response to a variation in the system parameters. The requirement for damping means that simple, compact and readily tuneable beamlike designs, that are popular with neutralisers [2,3], are relatively difficult to realise for TMDs. Beam-like (cantilever-type)Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect