Bio-inspired quad-stable piezoelectric energy harvester for low-frequency vibration scavenging

Abstract

Due to the unique and diverse nonlinear characteristics, bionic structures can effectively broaden the acquisition bandwidth and improve the performance of harvesters. Inspired by dipteran flight motion, a novel bionic quad-stable piezoelectric energy harvester (BQPEH) is designed to collect low-frequency ambient vibration. The novelty of this bionic energy harvester lies in the combination of the “click” mechanism and “snap-through” motion, thus broadening the application scenarios and improving adaptability for the harvesters. A mass block and a post-buckled piezoelectric beam are connected by a rigid bar to create quadruple-well potentials. The static bifurcation analysis is performed to identify the quad-stable region in the parameter space. The dynamic responses of the system are investigated theoretically and numerically under constant and swept-frequency excitations and then verified experimentally. Broadband low-frequency and high-power energy harvesting are obtained through the inter-well motion induced by the combined nonlinearity of the BQPEH. The results indicate the potential of the bionic strategy for powering wireless devices in low-frequency environments and provide a novel concept for the innovative development of energy harvesters.