Effect of parametric uncertainties on the performance of a piezoelectric energy harvesting device

Abstract

The use of piezoelectric materials for the development of electromechanical devices for the harvesting or scavenging of ambient vibrations has been extensively studied over the last decade. The energy conversion from mechanical (vibratory) to electrical energy is provided by the electromechanical coupling between mechanical strains/stresses and electric charges/voltages in the piezoelectric material. The majority of the studies found in the open literature present a tip-mass cantilever piezoelectric device tuned on the operating frequency. Although recent results show that these devices can be quite effective for harvesting small amounts of electrical energy, little has been published on the robustness of these devices or on the effect of parametric uncertainties on the energy harvested. This work focuses on a cantilever plate with bonded piezoelectric patches and a tip-mass serving as an energy harvesting device. The rectifier and storage electric circuit was replaced by a resistive circuit (R). In addition, an alternative to improve the harvesting performance by adding an inductance in series to the harvesting circuit, thus leading to a resonant circuit (RL), is considered. A coupled finite element model leading to mechanical (displacements) and electrical (charges at electrodes) degrees of freedom is considered. An analysis of the effect of parametric uncertainties of the device on the electric output is performed. Piezoelectric and dielectric constants of the piezoelectric active layers and electric circuit equivalent inductance are considered as stochastic parameters. Mean and confidence intervals of the electric output are evaluated.

Frequency tuning of piezoelectric energy harvesters thanks to a short-circuit synchronous electric charge extraction

“…When the voltage becomes 0V, meaning that all the energy has been transferred from the piezoelectric material to the electrical circuit, the inductance is disconnected from the piezoelectric material, the energy stored in the inductance is transferred in a storage capacitor and the harvester restarts to operate in open-circuit configuration. The energy harvested during a single harvesting event can be calculated using (6).…”

“…However, the harvested power drastically decreases when a slight mismatch appears between those two frequencies. This mismatch may be caused by many reasons: inaccurate design of the harvester leading to a difference between the expected and real resonant frequencies, aging of the mechanical oscillator, change in the ambient vibration spectrum, among others [6].…”

A novel multimodal and multidirectional energy harvester by asymmetric 3D skeletal frame structures

“…Analyzing dynamics and vibrations of structures and mechanisms has been the target of many studies in numerous fields of engineering and various applications [1][2][3][4]. Among them, collecting the vibration energy available in the environment and converting it into useful electrical energy has been attracting intensive attention of researchers in recent years [5][6][7][8][9]. Vibration-based piezoelectric EHs have a particular appeal due to their simple structures and high energy densities [10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

A novel design for an adaptive aeroelastic energy harvesting system: flutter and power analysis

“…In 2012, Godoy and Trindade [9] investigated the effect of parametric uncertainties on the performance of a piezoelectric energy harvesting device. The energy harvesting system was consisted of a cantilever plate with piezoelectric patches on its sides and also a tip mass.…”