Interaction between coherent fluid structures and highly compliant smart materials: towards small-scale energy harvesting

相干流体结构与高度顺应的智能材料之间的相互作用：面向小规模能量收集

• 批准号: 386282-2010
• 负责人: Peterson, Sean
• 金额: $ 2.11万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2011-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=485258
• 关键词: Interaction; between; coherent; fluid; structures

The increasing demand for lightweight, rechargeable, robust microelectronic devices has spawned considerable interest in small-scale energy harvesting sources and methodologies. An environmental energy source that has received relatively little scientific attention is coherent fluid structures, such as vortex rings and flow in the wake of a object. Vortex rings, a simple example of which is a "smoke ring" blown out of the mouth, occur in such varied places as the ventricles of the mammalian heart and in the wake of a swimming fish. Harvesting energy from coherent fluid structures can be accomplished using cantilevered beams constructed from highly deformable electro-active smart materials. Such materials generate an electrical response when deformed, thus they provide a method to directly convert mechanical energy, in the form of the fluid kinetic energy, into usable electrical energy. Efficiently harvesting energy from the coherent fluid structure/smart material-based cantilever necessitates that the interaction between the fluid and the structure be well understood. To date, research into the interplay between vortex rings (selected since they are well characterized mathematically and simple to produce experimentally) and mechanical structures has largely been limited to rigid planar walls. In the current case, the mechanical structure is capable of large time-varying deformations, which dramatically change the dynamics of the problem. The proposed research will consist of two phases; Phase I will be an extensive study of the complex problem of a vortex ring interacting with a highly deformable cantilever beam, while Phase II will focus on the energy harvesting aspects, including optimizing the power generation via a parametric study of the critical parameters, such as the material rigidity and angle of impact. The proposed research program has both fundamental and practical applications. The fundamental knowledge gained from studying the fluid/smart material interaction problem will be of increasing importance as smart materials continue to integrate into daily life. Of more immediate impact is the energy harvesting aspect of the study, which will aid in the design and development of long operating life sensors and microdevices.

对轻质、可再充电、坚固的微电子器件的需求不断增加，这引起了人们对小规模能量收集源和方法的极大兴趣。 一种受到相对较少科学关注的环境能源是相干流体结构，例如涡环和物体尾流。 涡环，一个简单的例子是从嘴里吹出来的“烟圈”，出现在哺乳动物心脏的心室和游泳的鱼的尾流等不同的地方。 从相干流体结构中收集能量可以使用由高度可变形的电活性智能材料构成的悬臂梁来实现。 这种材料在变形时产生电响应，因此它们提供了一种将流体动能形式的机械能直接转换成可用电能的方法。 从相干流体结构/基于智能材料的悬臂梁有效地收集能量需要很好地理解流体和结构之间的相互作用。 迄今为止，对涡环（之所以选择涡环，是因为它们在数学上具有良好的特性，并且易于实验产生）和机械结构之间的相互作用的研究在很大程度上限于刚性平面壁。 在目前的情况下，机械结构能够大的时变变形，这大大改变了问题的动态。 拟议的研究将包括两个阶段;第一阶段将是对涡环与高度可变形悬臂梁相互作用的复杂问题的广泛研究，而第二阶段将专注于能量收集方面，包括通过对关键参数（如材料刚度和冲击角度）的参数研究来优化发电。 所提出的研究计划具有基础和实际应用。 随着智能材料不断融入日常生活，研究流体/智能材料相互作用问题获得的基础知识将变得越来越重要。 更直接的影响是该研究的能量收集方面，这将有助于设计和开发长工作寿命的传感器和微型设备。