Design and analysis of a d15 mode piezoelectric energy generator using friction-induced vibration

Abstract

Research works have been conducted on transverse and longitudinal mode piezoelectric energy generation to collect energy from ambient vibrations. However, the inconsistency with the frequency of the energy source and low output power density remain problems for high energy output. In this work, we propose a shear mode piezoelectric energy generator, which utilizes the friction-induced vibration (FIV) and high shear mode piezoelectric coefficient to improve the energy output. A piezoelectric coupled FIV mathematical model is developed to accurately calculate the dynamic vibration response and voltage output. The dynamic voltage response is validated by experiment, and it proves the possibility of continuous friction-induced high-frequency vibration. The energy generation process is evaluated by transient charging simulation of a storage capacitor through an iteration process, which was experimentally validated in the literature. Parameter studies have been conducted to investigate the influences of the piezoelectric patch dimensional parameters, vibration system parameters, friction model parameters, methods of electrical connections, and different piezoelectric materials on the energy generation performance to provide guidance for better design. Under ideal experiment conditions with proper parameters, a volume of m3 PZT4 piezoelectric material indicates root mean square (RMS) charging power density of Wm−3 and Wm−3 with electrically in parallel and electrically in series, respectively. While using the same amount of material and structural setup, the single crystal PMN-PT piezoelectric material shows RMS charging power density of Wm−3 and Wm−3 with electrically in parallel and electrically in series, correspondingly. These promising results demonstrate that close to W-level RMS charging power output may be realized by structure optimization of energy generator design and incorporating multiple generators together for operation. Possible incorporation into vehicle braking systems can be considered to utilize the wasted friction energy, and it may offer an energy supply for low-power wireless devices.