TY - GEN
T1 - Synchronization of cantilevers arranged in line of a piezoelectric energy harvester
AU - Spornraft, Max
AU - Schwesinger, Norbert
AU - Berger, Shlomo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright 2015 by ASME.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Synchronization opens further ways to improve cantileverbased energy harvesting arrays in view of power output, easier rectification and scaling. Objective of this study is to investigate the synchronization behavior of a cantilever-Array based energy harvesting systems. Thereby, synchronization is achieved by mechanical coupling through a so-called "overhang". Nakajima et al. [1] and Wang et al. [2] already verified this principle for the synchronization of two and three cantilevers, but at constant vibrational excitation. Regarding energy harvesting, no application of this method is presently available. In this paper, we investigate the synchronization behavior of a piezoelectric cantilever-line energy harvester in airflow. The design of the energy harvester bases upon a piezoelectric cantilever-line and a common bluff body, arranged upstream. To investigate synchronization of the cantilevers, three commonly available piezoelectric bimorphs were employed to study synchronization. Mounted on a common bluff body, the effect of overhang material and position was studied. Therefore, different constellations were examined by impulse excitation as well as vortex-induced vibration in a wind channel. In several measurements, we found arrangements and parameters allowing for an in-phase synchronization of neighborly cantilevers of the line. The knowledge gained allows for a direct electrical connection of piezoelectric cantilevers with just one single rectifier unit. Cantilevers coupled with overhangs arranged in the right order oscillate with the same frequency and phase, i.e. without any charge cancellations. This knowledge opens ways to develop basic design rules for the synchronization of cantilevers.
AB - Synchronization opens further ways to improve cantileverbased energy harvesting arrays in view of power output, easier rectification and scaling. Objective of this study is to investigate the synchronization behavior of a cantilever-Array based energy harvesting systems. Thereby, synchronization is achieved by mechanical coupling through a so-called "overhang". Nakajima et al. [1] and Wang et al. [2] already verified this principle for the synchronization of two and three cantilevers, but at constant vibrational excitation. Regarding energy harvesting, no application of this method is presently available. In this paper, we investigate the synchronization behavior of a piezoelectric cantilever-line energy harvester in airflow. The design of the energy harvester bases upon a piezoelectric cantilever-line and a common bluff body, arranged upstream. To investigate synchronization of the cantilevers, three commonly available piezoelectric bimorphs were employed to study synchronization. Mounted on a common bluff body, the effect of overhang material and position was studied. Therefore, different constellations were examined by impulse excitation as well as vortex-induced vibration in a wind channel. In several measurements, we found arrangements and parameters allowing for an in-phase synchronization of neighborly cantilevers of the line. The knowledge gained allows for a direct electrical connection of piezoelectric cantilevers with just one single rectifier unit. Cantilevers coupled with overhangs arranged in the right order oscillate with the same frequency and phase, i.e. without any charge cancellations. This knowledge opens ways to develop basic design rules for the synchronization of cantilevers.
KW - Cantilever
KW - Energy harvesting
KW - Overhang
KW - Piezoelectric
KW - Synchronization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84967017622&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1115/SMASIS2015-8928
DO - 10.1115/SMASIS2015-8928
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84967017622
T3 - ASME 2015 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems, SMASIS 2015
BT - Integrated System Design and Implementation; Structural Health Monitoring; Bioinspired Smart Materials and Systems; Energy Harvesting
PB - American Society of Mechanical Engineers
T2 - ASME 2015 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems, SMASIS 2015
Y2 - 21 September 2015 through 23 September 2015
ER -