Chapter 9 - Design of a two-dimensional piezoelectric energy harvester with magnets and multistage force amplifier

Abstract

This chapter presents the design and testing of a two-directional (2-D) piezoelectric stack-based energy harvester to capture mechanical energy from human footsteps. The energy of 2-D excitation is scavenged by a single piezoelectric stack, which improves power density. The harvester is constructed by integrating permanent magnets, position protection plates, and a multistage force amplification frame. Through analytical modeling, the main architectural parameters of the device are determined. A finite element analysis (FEA) simulation study is conducted to optimize device parameters to achieve the largest force amplification ratio with a high safety factor. A prototype harvester is fabricated for experimental study. Results demonstrate the satisfactory performance of the developed 2-D piezo energy harvester.