A validated simulation of energy harvesting with piezoelectric cantilever beams on a vehicle suspension using Bond Graph approach

Abstract

Nowadays, there is a combine effect of piezoelectric material performances and energy harvesting management strategy increase. As the same time, the energy consumption of electrical components and circuits decrease. Thus, this leads to a growing interest in recovering low energy level with piezoelectric cantilever beam in the suspensions of an automotive vehicle to perform predictive maintaining operations for example. For this purpose, a Bond Graph model of suspension with an embedded piezoelectric beam has been proposed since it gives the keys to find an optimal configuration for the energy harvester. The Bond Graph language is well adapted to translate multiphysics exchange of energy and power from mechanical to electrical conversion. In order to validate simulation results, a prototype of piezoelectric energy harvester has been built and tested in a laboratory environment. Furthermore, this study has been supplemented by measurements performed on a road and simulations are in good keeping with these proposed experimental tests. In view of an energy balance, small power but with a long duration harvesting has been obtained. Therefore, energy harvester may be interesting for a punctual use with a large period of electrical loading.