Development of a non-linear bi-directional vortex-induced piezoelectric energy harvester with magnetic interaction

Abstract

In this study, magnetic force is introduced to the design of a bi-directional U-shaped piezoelectric energy harvester for vortex-induced vibrations. The theoretical model of the beam structure is derived based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. The vortex-induced vibration and the non-linear magnetic force are modeled according to the Rayleigh oscillator and the charge model, respectively. A prototype is fabricated and tested in two orthogonal directions under vortex-induced vibrations in a wind tunnel. Up and down wind-speed sweeps are carried out to investigate the non-linear responses of the harvester. The distance between the magnets and the length of the side beams are adjusted to examine the influence of the magnetic force on the lock-in region and voltage output of the harvester. Overall, the harvester shows strong non-linearity in the horizontal excitations. After adding magnets to the system, significant improvement of the lock-in region and the peak voltage is noticed in the horizontal mode under both up and down sweeps.