Piezoelectric Energy Conversion Using Locomotion

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Howells
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Piezoelectric Materials ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Heel Strike ◽  
Mechanical Motion ◽  
Electric Generator ◽  
Mechanical Coupling ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy

Piezoelectric materials can be used to convert oscillatory mechanical energy into electrical energy. This technology, together with innovative mechanical coupling designs, can form the basis for an energy harvesting solution for military and commercial systems. The US Army-CERDEC at Ft. Belvoir, VA and Continuum Photonics, Inc. in Billerica, MA completed a three year Science & Technology Objective (STO) research effort that focused on harvesting energy from physical exertion. The effort was aimed at investigating the concept of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting for supplying supplemental power for dismounted soldiers. This STO effort resulted in the development of four proof-of-concept Heel Strike Units where each unit is essentially a small electric generator that utilizes piezoelectric elements to convert mechanical motion into electrical power in the form factor of the heel of a soldier’s combat boot. The Power Technology Branch has tested and evaluated the Heel Strike units. The results of the testing and evaluation and the performance of this small electric generator are presented. The generator’s piezoelectric conversion of mechanical motion into electrical power, its efficiency, the processes it goes through to produce useable power and commercial applications of the Heel Strike electric generator are discussed.

Energy harvesting from quasi-static deformations via bilaterally constrained strips

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (18) ◽  
pp. 3572-3581
Author(s):  
Suihan Liu ◽  
Ali Imani Azad ◽  
Rigoberto Burgueño
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Low Power ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Energy Resource ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting ◽  
Power Budget ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy ◽  
Static Conditions

Piezoelectric energy harvesting from ambient vibrations is well studied, but harvesting from quasi-static responses is not yet fully explored. The lack of attention is because quasi-static actions are much slower than the resonance frequency of piezoelectric oscillators to achieve optimal outputs; however, they can be a common mechanical energy resource: from large civil structure deformations to biomechanical motions. The recent advances in bio-micro-electro-mechanical systems and wireless sensor technologies are motivating the study of piezoelectric energy harvesting from quasi-static conditions for low-power budget devices. This article presents a new approach of using quasi-static deformations to generate electrical power through an axially compressed bilaterally constrained strip with an attached piezoelectric layer. A theoretical model was developed to predict the strain distribution of the strip’s buckled configuration for calculating the electrical energy generation. Results from an experimental investigation and finite element simulations are in good agreement with the theoretical study. Test results from a prototyped device showed that a peak output power of 1.33 μW/cm2 was generated, which can adequately provide power supply for low-power budget devices. And a parametric study was also conducted to provide design guidance on selecting the dimensions of a device based on the external embedding structure.

A parametric analysis of the nonlinear dynamics of bistable vibration-based piezoelectric energy harvesters

2020 ◽  
pp. 1045389X2096318
Author(s):  
Luã Guedes Costa ◽  
Luciana Loureiro da Silva Monteiro ◽  
Pedro Manuel Calas Lopes Pacheco ◽  
Marcelo Amorim Savi
Keyword(s):  
Nonlinear Dynamics ◽  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Parametric Analysis ◽  
Electromechanical Coupling ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Piezoelectric Materials ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Harmonic Excitation ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy ◽  
Harvesting Systems

Piezoelectric materials exhibit electromechanical coupling properties and have been gained importance over the last few decades due to their broad range of applications. Vibration-based energy harvesting systems have been proposed using the direct piezoelectric effect by converting mechanical into electrical energy. Although the great relevance of these systems, performance enhancement strategies are essential to improve the applicability of these system and have been studied substantially. This work addresses a numerical investigation of the influence of cubic polynomial nonlinearities in energy harvesting systems considering a bistable structure subjected to harmonic excitation. A deep parametric analysis is carried out employing nonlinear dynamics tools. Results show complex dynamical behaviors associated with the trigger of inter-well motion. Electrical power output and efficiency are monitored in order to evaluate the configurations associated with best system performances.

Mechanistic Modeling and Economic Analysis of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Potential in Airport Pavements

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (11) ◽  
pp. 64-75
Author(s):  
Jingnan Zhao ◽  
Hao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Power Output ◽  
Piezoelectric Materials ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Mechanistic Modeling ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting ◽  
Levelized Cost Of Electricity ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy

This study investigated the feasibility of applying piezoelectric energy harvesting technology in airfield pavements through mechanistic modeling and economic analysis. The energy harvesting performance of piezoelectric transducers was evaluated based on mechanical energy induced by multi-wheel aircraft loading on flexible airfield pavements. A three-dimensional finite element model was used to estimate the stress pulse and magnitude under moving aircraft tire loading. A stack piezoelectric transducer design was used to estimate the power output of a piezoelectric harvester embedded at different locations and depths in the pavement. The aircraft load and speed were found to be vital factors affecting the power output, along with the installation depth and horizontal locations of the energy harvester. On the other hand, the installation of the energy module had a negligible influence on the horizontal tensile strains at the bottom of the asphalt layer and compressive strains on the top of the subgrade. However, the near-surface pavement strains increased when the edge ribs of the tire were loaded on the energy module. Feasibility analysis results showed that the calculated levelized cost of electricity was high in general, although it varies depending on the airport traffic levels and the service life of the energy module. With the development of piezoelectric materials and technology, further evaluation of energy harvesting applications at airports needs to be conducted.

scholarly journals Piezoelectric energy harvesting pedal integrated with a compliant load amplifier

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 168781401882014
Author(s):  
YiHe Zhang ◽  
Chul-Hee Lee
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Low Power ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Compliant Mechanism ◽  
Piezoelectric Materials ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Optimization Methods ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy

Energy generation technologies that use piezoelectric materials as uninterrupted power supplies are one of the most practical solutions of low-power wireless sensor network. The piezoelectric generator collects mechanical energy from the environment and transforms it into electricity to supply to microelectronic devices. Thus, these alternative energy sources can reduce the consumption of batteries, thereby reducing environmental pollution. Piezoelectric materials can work in the bending, compression, and shear modes, which are named as d31, d33, and d15 modes, respectively. In this study, a piezo stack which worked in d31 mode has been designed and integrated into an energy harvesting pedal. A novel compliant amplifying mechanism has to be designed to amplify the input load so that the high-stiffness piezoelectric stack can achieve a large energy output at a lower input force. This compliant mechanism has been designed by the pseudo-rigid-body and topology optimization methods. The amplification ratios of different sized flexible amplification mechanisms are calculated through the finite element analysis and validated by experiments. Finally, a pedal generator has been made and the test results show that the collected electricity can effectively drive a low-power microcontroller, sensor, and other devices of these kinds.

scholarly journals Geometrical Investigation of Piezoelectric Patches for Broadband Energy Harvesting in Non-Deterministic Composite Plates

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 7370
Author(s):  
Asan G. A. Muthalif ◽  
Abdelrahman Ali ◽  
Jamil Renno ◽  
Azni N. Wahid ◽  
Khairul A. M. Nor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Fiber Orientation ◽  
Electromechanical Coupling ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Electrical Potential ◽  
Composite Plates ◽  
Maximum Energy ◽  
Fe Model ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy

Mechanical energy is the most ubiquitous form of energy that can be harvested and converted into useful electrical power. For this reason, the piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs), with their inherent electromechanical coupling and high-power density, have been widely incorporated in many applications to generate power from ambient mechanical vibrations. However, one of the main challenges to the wider adoption of PEHs is how to optimize their design for maximum energy harvesting. In this paper, an investigation was conducted on the energy harvesting from seven piezoelectric patch shapes (differing in the number of edges) when attached to a non-deterministic laminated composite (single/double lamina) plate subjected to change in fiber orientation. The performance of the PEHs was examined through a coupled-field finite element (FE) model. The plate was simply supported, and its dynamics were randomized by attaching randomly distributed point masses on the plate surface in addition to applying randomly located time-harmonic point forces. The randomization of point masses and point force location on a thin plate produce non-deterministic response. The design optimization was performed by employing the ensemble-responses of the electrical potential developed across the electrodes of the piezoelectric patches. The results present the optimal fiber orientation and patch shape for maximum energy harvesting in the case of single and double lamina composite plates. The results show that the performance is optimal at 0° or 90° fiber orientation for single-lamina, and at 0°/0° and 0°/90° fiber orientations for double-lamina composites. For frequencies below 25 Hz, patches with a low number of edges exhibited a higher harvesting performance (triangular for single-lamina/quadrilateral for double-lamina). As for the broadband frequencies (above 25 Hz), the performance was optimal for the patches with a higher number of edges (dodecagonal for single-lamina/octagonal for double-lamina).

scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of Modelling for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Solutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-153
Author(s):  
Jennifer S Raj ◽  
G Ranganathan
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Piezoelectric Materials ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy ◽  
Research Article ◽  
Piezoelectric Elements ◽  
Harvesting Techniques

Due to the global energy crisis and environmental degradation, largely as a result of the increased usage of non-renewable energy sources, researchers have become more interested in exploring alternative energy systems, which may harvest energy from natural sources. This research article provides a comparison between various modeling of piezoelectric elements in terms of power generation for energy harvesting solutions. The energy harvesting can be computed and calculated based on piezoelectric materials and modeling for the specific application. The most common type of environmental energy that may be collected and transformed into electricity for several purposes is Piezoelectric transduction, which is more effective, compared to other mechanical energy harvesting techniques, including electrostatic, electromagnetic, and triboelectric transduction, due to their high electromechanical connection factor and piezoelectric coefficients. As a result of this research, scientists are highly interested in piezoelectric energy collection.

scholarly journals Tracking of Maximum Electrical Power for a Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting System

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 6465-6469
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Piezoelectric Materials ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Maximum Power ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting ◽  
Renewable Energy Resources ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Energy Harvesting System

Recent global environmental challenges have urged researchers to work on renewable energy resources. One major category of these resources is piezoelectric materials. This paper presents dynamic modeling of a piezoelectric energy harvesting system and then presents two level methodology using artificial neural networks to reach its maximum power output. Simulation results show desirable performance of the system, which leads to output increasing and tracking of maximum power in a limited time.

Numerical investigation of nonlinear mechanical and constitutive effects on piezoelectric vibration-based energy harvesting

2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (9) ◽  
pp. 565-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Carolina Cellular ◽  
Luciana L. da Silva Monteiro ◽  
Marcelo A. Savi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Numerical Investigation ◽  
Piezoelectric Materials ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Dynamical Behavior ◽  
Nonlinear Effects ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Coupling Model ◽  
Mechanical Coupling ◽  
Piezoelectric Vibration

Abstract Vibration-based energy harvesting has the main objective to convert available environmental mechanical energy into electrical energy. Piezoelectric materials are usually employed to promote the mechanical-electrical conversion. This work deals with a numerical investigation that analyzes the influence of nonlinear effects in piezoelectric vibration-based energy harvesting. Duffing-type oscillator that can be either monostable or bistable represents mechanical nonlinearities. A quadratic constitutive electro-mechanical coupling model represents piezoelectric nonlinearities. The system performance is evaluated for different system characteristics being monitored by the input and the generated power. Numerical simulations are carried out exploring dynamical behavior of energy harvesting system evaluating different kinds of responses, including periodic and chaotic regimes.

Development of lead-free materials for piezoelectric energy harvesting

2011 ◽  
Vol 1325 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Rai ◽  
I. Coondoo ◽  
R. P. Lopes ◽  
I. Bdikin ◽  
R. Ayouchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Piezoelectric Materials ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Piezoresponse Force Microscopy ◽  
Solid State Reaction Method ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Environment And Health ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy

ABSTRACTMechanical energy harvesting from ambient vibrations is an attractive renewable source of energy for various applications. Prior research was solely based on lead-containing materials which are detrimental to the environment and health. Therefore, lead-free materials are becoming more attractive for harvesting applications. The present work is focused on the development of lead-free piezoelectric materials based on solid solution having composition (KNa)NbO3-xABO3, (where A = Li, and B = Nb; x = 0, 5, 5.5, 6, and 6.5 wt%). The solid solutions of the above ceramics were prepared by using solid-state reaction method. The X-ray diffraction spectra exhibited single phase formation and good crystallinity with LiNbO3 addition up to x = 6.5 wt%. Dielectric studies reveal that the composition with LiNbO3 = 6.5 wt% exhibits superior properties suitable for piezoelectric energy harvesting applications. The nanoscale piezoelectric data obtained with piezoresponse force microscopy provide a direct evidence of strong piezoelectricity with LN doping. The best piezoelectric properties are obtained for the composition K0.5Na0.5NbO3 – 6.5%LiNbO3.

scholarly journals Thermomechanical Effects on Electrical Energy Harvested from Laminated Piezoelectric Devices

Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 141
Author(s):  
Pornrawee Thonapalin ◽  
Sontipee Aimmanee ◽  
Pitak Laoratanakul ◽  
Raj Das
Keyword(s):  
Elevated Temperature ◽  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Electromechanical Coupling ◽  
Piezoelectric Materials ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Piezoelectric Sensor ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Piezoelectric Devices ◽  
Thermomechanical Effects

Piezoelectric materials are used to harvest ambient mechanical energy from the environment and supply electrical energy via their electromechanical coupling property. Amongst many intensive activities of energy harvesting research, little attention has been paid to study the effect of the environmental factors on the performance of energy harvesting from laminated piezoelectric materials, especially when the temperature in the operating condition is different from the room temperature. In this work, thermomechanical effects on the electrical energy harvested from a type of laminated piezoelectric devices, known as thin layer unimorph ferroelectric driver (called THUNDER) were investigated. Three configurations of THUNDER devices were tested in a controlled temperature range of 30–80 °C. The THUNDER devices were pushed by using a cam mechanism in order to generate required displacements and frequencies. The experimental results exhibited a detrimental effect of the elevated temperature on the generated voltage and the harvested electrical power. It is due to changes in residual stress and geometry. These results are advantageous for many applications of the THUNDER devices and for future design of a new laminated piezoelectric sensor and energy harvester in an elevated temperature environment.

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