Optimisation of Broadband Energy Harvesters Using Bistable Composites

使用双稳态复合材料优化宽带能量收集器

• 批准号: EP/J014389/1
• 负责人: Hyunsun Kim
• 金额: $ 47.66万
• 依托单位: University of Bath
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2012 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FJ014389%2F1
• 关键词: Optimisation; Broadband; Energy; Harvesters; Using

This proposal will develop optimum broadband energy harvesters at the large/meso-scale by creating an optimisation methodology. This will be achieved by bistable composite laminates with piezoelectric materials converting mechanical vibration to electrical energy.Energy harvesting is an active research area developing ways of capturing energy from the external environment to power low energy electronics such as wireless sensor networks. One source of energy is vibration and piezoelectric materials are commonly used to convert mechanical vibration to electrical energy. The current state-of-the-art devices are designed to capture electrical energy at resonant frequencies. Whilst this works well in a well-controlled frequency environment, the harvesting performance falls dramatically outside the resonant frequencies and the resonant frequencies of a structure can quickly become unattainable as a device becomes small or large. This limits the application areas where vibratory energy harvesting devices can be used. The proposed bistable composite mechanism has recently been discovered by Inman (Co-I) to have an excellent harvesting performance over a range of frequencies due to its nonlinear dynamics. Bistable composite plates have an inherent bistability arising from anisotropic material properties of an asymmetrical layup. These bistable composites have been extensively studied in the context of piezo-actuated morphing structures in recent years and Kim (PI) and Bowen (Co-I) introduced the first and the only optimisation methodology for bistable composites in 2011. The project combines these expertise together with mixed signal electronics of Clarke (Co-I) to develop broadband energy harvesters suitable for ambient vibration. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and Perpetuum will support this project via their experimental expertise, facilities and data on the industrial and customers' needs.The complex physics of nonlinear bistable composites is difficult to understand and design, and the optimisation methodology for bistable composites recently developed by the applicants offers a systematic exploration of the design space to find the optimum combination of size, thickness and stacking sequence of fibre orientations. Building on from this foundation, the project will develop static and dynamic models of bistable enegy harvesting composites supported by experimental investigations and formulate an optimisation methodology which will be used to design and build demonstrators based on real world applications.There are three main challenges which will be addressed in this project:(1) The nonlinearity of the system behaviour, multiple equilibrium states of bistability, piezoelectric configuration and discrete composite lay-ups all present significant scientific challenges. The proposed research takes a novel approach of optimisation to account for the complex interaction of physics and offers engineers a methodology for designing bistable broadband energy harvesters for any given requirements. (2) No research to date has studied the role of nonlinearities in bistable energy harvesting. We will explore this in the modelling of energy harvesting performance including dynamic nonlinearity with experimental characterisation of coupled electromechanical properties.(3) One popular mechanism for generating bistability is via an external electromagnetic field which can be cumbersome and obtrusive to the surrounding system and the electrical components. Bistability is inherent to asymmetrical composite laminates, therefore the resulting system can be more compact and easily installed.

该提案将通过创建一种优化方法来开发大/中尺度的最佳宽带能量收集器。这将通过用压电材料将机械振动转化为电能的双稳态复合层压板来实现。能量收集是一个活跃的研究领域，开发从外部环境中捕获能量的方法来为无线传感器网络等低能量电子设备供电。能量的来源之一是振动，压电材料通常用于将机械振动转换为电能。目前最先进的设备设计用于捕获谐振频率的电能。虽然这在频率控制良好的环境下工作得很好，但在谐振频率之外，收获性能会急剧下降，并且随着设备变得更小或更大，结构的谐振频率很快就会变得无法实现。这就限制了振动能量收集装置的应用领域。Inman （Co-I）最近发现，由于其非线性动力学，所提出的双稳态复合机制在一定频率范围内具有优异的收获性能。双稳复合材料板具有固有的双稳性，这是由不对称层的各向异性材料特性引起的。近年来，这些双稳态复合材料在压电驱动变形结构的背景下得到了广泛的研究，Kim （PI）和Bowen （Co-I）在2011年引入了第一个也是唯一一个双稳态复合材料的优化方法。该项目将这些专业知识与Clarke （Co-I）的混合信号电子技术相结合，开发适合环境振动的宽带能量采集器。国家物理实验室（NPL）和Perpetuum将通过他们的实验专业知识、设备和工业和客户需求的数据来支持该项目。非线性双稳复合材料的复杂物理特性难以理解和设计，申请人最近开发的双稳复合材料优化方法提供了对设计空间的系统探索，以找到尺寸，厚度和纤维取向堆叠顺序的最佳组合。在此基础上，该项目将在实验研究的支持下开发双稳态能量收集复合材料的静态和动态模型，并制定一种优化方法，用于设计和构建基于现实世界应用的演示。该项目将解决三个主要挑战：(1)系统行为的非线性，双稳性的多种平衡状态，压电结构和离散复合层合都是重大的科学挑战。提出的研究采用了一种新的优化方法来解释物理的复杂相互作用，并为工程师提供了一种针对任何给定要求设计双稳态宽带能量收集器的方法。(2)迄今为止还没有研究非线性在双稳态能量收集中的作用。我们将在能量收集性能的建模中探讨这一点，包括动态非线性和耦合机电特性的实验表征。(3)一种流行的产生双稳性的机制是通过外部电磁场，这对周围的系统和电气元件来说是麻烦和突兀的。双稳定性是固有的不对称复合层压板，因此所产生的系统可以更紧凑，更容易安装。

项目成果

Optimal configurations of bistable piezo-composites for energy harvesting

• DOI: 10.1063/1.3693523
• 发表时间: 2012-03-12
• 期刊: APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
• 影响因子: 4
• 作者: Betts, D. N.;Kim, H. A.;Inman, D. J.
• 通讯作者: Inman, D. J.

Nonlinear dynamics of a bistable piezoelectric-composite energy harvester for broadband application

• DOI: 10.1140/epjst/e2013-01944-6
• 发表时间: 2013-09-01
• 期刊: EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL-SPECIAL TOPICS
• 影响因子: 2.8
• 作者: Betts, D. N.;Bowen, C. R.;Inman, D. J.
• 通讯作者: Inman, D. J.

Investigation of bistable piezo-composite plates for broadband energy harvesting

• DOI: 10.1117/12.2009101
• 发表时间: 2013-04
• 作者: D. Betts;C. Bowen;H. A. Kim;N. Gathercole;C. Clarke;D. Inman

Modelling the dynamic response of bistable composite plates for piezoelectric energy harvesting

• DOI: 10.2514/6.2014-0154
• 发表时间: 2014-01
• 作者: D. Betts;R. Guyer;P. L. Bas;C. Bowen;D. Inman;H. Kim

Novel model for arbitrary shape bistable piezoelectric-composite plates for vibration-based energy harvesting

用于基于振动的能量收集的任意形状双稳态压电复合材料板的新模型

• 发表时间: 2014
• 作者: Betts DN