A Broadband Vibration-Based Energy Harvester Using an Array of Piezoelectric Beams Connected by Springs
Piezoelectric cantilevered beams have been widely used as vibration-based energy harvesters. Nevertheless, these devices have a narrow frequency band and if the excitation is slightly different there is a significant drop in the level of power generated. To handle this problem, the present investiga...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Hindawi Limited
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Shock and Vibration |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/9614842 |
| Summary: | Piezoelectric cantilevered beams have been widely used as
vibration-based energy harvesters. Nevertheless, these devices
have a narrow frequency band and if the excitation is slightly
different there is a significant drop in the level of power
generated. To handle this problem, the present investigation
proposes the use of an array of piezoelectric cantilevered beams
connected by springs as a broadband vibration-based energy
harvester. The equations for the voltage and power output of the
system are derived based on the analytical solution of the
piezoelectric cantilevered energy harvester with Euler-Bernoulli beam assumptions.
To study the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed system,
the results are compared with those of an array of disconnected
beams (with no springs). The analytical model is validated with
experimental measurements of three bimorph beams with and without
springs. The results show that connecting the array of beams with
springs allows increasing the frequency band of operation and increasing the amount of power generated. |
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| ISSN: | 1070-9622 1875-9203 |