Dynamic analysis of novel bionic piezoelectric vibration energy harvester for power transformer

Abstract

Inspired by the morphological transformation of spiders during motion, a novel bionic spider-type piezoelectric vibration energy harvester is proposed. By observing the movement of spiders in nature, we simulated their skeleton structure and constructed a model collection structure using three pairs of symmetrical flexible beams with rods corresponding to the pinholes. The displacement of the middle mass at the free end causes the substrate beam to bend and deform, thereby driving the piezoelectric element to generate voltage. The detailed descriptions of the design steps and principles is provided. We also developed a concentrated mass-spring model for theoretical analysis, which is verified through numerical simulation. We investigated the dynamics of the bionic piezoelectric energy harvester under swept frequency and harmonic excitation. The results demonstrated that the harvester experiences localized vibrations, including broadband high-frequency oscillations. We evaluated the energy harvesting performance of the harvester under different excitations in the frequency range of 108–115 Hz. At a frequency of 111 Hz and an acceleration of 1 g (=9.81 m/s2), the average power output is 0.63 mW. The maximum power output of 5.66 mW can be achieved at an excitation acceleration of 3 g and an operating condition of 111.5 Hz.