Abstract
A multi-modal piezoelectric vibration energy harvester is designed in this article. It consists of a cantilevered base beam and some upper and lower layer beams with rigid masses bonded between the beams as spacers. For a four-layer harvester subjected to random base excitations, relocating the mass positions leads to the generation of up to four close resonance frequencies over the frequency range from 10 Hz to 100 Hz with relative large power output. The harvesters are connected with a resistance decade box and the frequency response functions of the voltage and power on resistive loads are determined. The experimental results are validated with the simulation results using the finite element method. On a certain level of power output, the experimental results show that the multi-modal harvesters can generate a frequency band that is more than two times greater than the frequency band produced by a cantilevered beam harvester.
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Recommended by Editor Yeon June Kang
Xingyu Xiong obtained his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Manchester in 2014. From 2015, he joined the Academic Staff of North China Electric Power University. He is currently working in the Mechanical Engineering Department, the School of Energy, Power and Mechanical Engineering. His principal research activities have evolved from his Ph.D. work and centre on the engineering applications of smart materials for vibration energy harvesting and vibration control.
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Xiong, X., Oyadiji, S.O. Design and experimental study of a multi-modal piezoelectric energy harvester. J Mech Sci Technol 31, 5–15 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-016-1202-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-016-1202-6