Related papers: Optimal energy-harvesting cycles for load-driven d…
A predicting model for soft Dielectric Elastomer Generators (DEGs) must consider a realistic model of the electromechanical behaviour of the elastomer filling, the variable capacitor and of the electrical circuit connecting all elements of…
Piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters have attracted much attention due to its potential to replace currently popular batteries and to provide an sustainable power sources. Many researchers have proposed ways to increase the performance…
The development of energy harvesting systems based on fluid/structure interactions is part of the global search for innovative tools to produce renewable energy. In this paper, the possibility to harvest energy from a flow using…
Pull-in (or electro-mechanical) instability occurs when a drastic decrease in the thickness of a dielectric elastomer results in electrical breakdown, which limits the applications of dielectric devices. Here we derive the criteria for…
A dielectric elastomer generator (DEG) can be used for converting mechanical energy from natural motion sources such as walking, waves, trees etc, into electrical energy. A DEG is comprised of a soft and flexible Dielectric Elastomer…
The power electronic interface to a vibration energy harvester not only provides ac-dc conversion, but can also set the electrical damping to maximize output power under displacement-constrained operation. This is commonly exploited for…
We study pattern formation in a compressed elastic film which delaminates from a substrate. Our key tool is the determination of rigorous upper and lower bounds on the minimum value of a suitable energy functional. The energy consists of…
We propose a protocol to model accurately the electromechanical behavior of dielectric elastomer membranes using experimental data of stress-stretch and voltage-stretch tests. We show how the relationship between electric displacement and…
In this study, we propose a design methodology for a piezoelectric energy-harvesting device optimized for maximal power generation at a designated frequency using topology optimization. The proposed methodology is adapted to the design of a…
We propose and develop an electrical and mechanical system model of a single-axis linear-motion kinetic energy harvester for impulsive excitation that allows its generated load power to be numerically optimised as a function of design…
This paper is motivated by the complex blister patterns sometimes seen in thin elastic films on thick, compliant substrates. These patterns are often induced by an elastic misfit which compresses the film. Blistering permits the film to…
Thanks to miniaturisation, it is today possible to imagine self-powered systems that use vibrations to produce their own electrical energy. Many energy-harvesting systems already exist. Some of them are based on the use of electrets:…
Supercapacitors are increasingly used as energy storage elements. Unlike batteries, their state of charge has a considerable influence on their voltage in normal operation, allowing them to work from zero to their maximum voltage. In this…
Self-sustained oscillations resulting from fluid-solid instabilities, such as the flutter of a flexible flag in axial flow, can be used to harvest energy if one is able to convert the solid energy into electricity. Here, this is achieved…
The energy harvesting performance of a pair of oscillating hydrofoil turbines in tandem configuration is experimentally studied to determine the optimal kinematics of the array. By characterizing interactions between the wake produced by…
The current work employs a phase-field model to test the stability of nanoscale periodic domain patterns, and to explore the application of one pattern in an energy harvester device. At first, the stability of several periodic domain…
The problem of energy harvesting from flutter instabilities in flexible slender structures in axial flows is considered. In a recent study, we used a reduced order theoretical model of such a system to demonstrate the feasibility for…
In this paper we show the emergence of polycrystalline structures as a result of elastic energy minimisation. For this purpose, we introduce a variational model for two-dimensional systems of edge dislocations, within the so-called core…
This paper investigates the energy harvested from the flutter of a plate in an axial flow by making use of piezoelectric materials. The equations for fully-coupled linear dynamics of the fluid-solid and electrical systems are derived. The…
We consider the theoretical maximum extractable average power from an energy harvesting device attached to a vibrating table which provides a unidirectional displacement $A\sin(\omega t)$. The total mass of moving components in the device…