Coupled multiphysics finite element model and experimental testing of a thermo-magnetically triggered piezoelectric generator

Abstract

This paper deals with the coupled multiphysics finite element modeling and the experimental testing of a thermo-magnetically triggered piezoelectric generator. The model presented here, which has been developed in ANSYS software and experimentally validated, promotes a better understanding of the dynamic behavior of proposed generator. Special attention was put into the coupled multiphysics interactions, for instance, the thermal-dependent demagnetization of soft magnetic material, the piezoelectric transduction and the output power. In order to characterize the power generator, many finite element simulations were conducted, included modal and transient analysis. To verify the effectiveness of the model, a prototype was built and tested. The findings thus obtained were compared with simulation results. Obtained results describe for the first time a fully coupled model of an innovative approach for thermomagnetic energy harvesting. Moreover, the total volume of our harvester (length × width × height: 20 × 4 × 2 mm) is 85 times lower than that of previous experimental harvester.