Dynamics and energy harvesting performance of a nonlinear arc-cylinder type dielectric elastomer oscillator under unidirectional harmonic excitations

Abstract

To harvest vibration energy, a nonlinear arc-cylinder type dielectric elastomer oscillator (ADEO), which has greater advantages than the VI DEG in vibration environments, is proposed. We first study the dynamic behaviors and the energy harvesting (EH) performance of the ADEO subjected to unidirectional harmonic excitations. The energy harvester, which consists of a hollow arc cylinder, two pairs of straight cylindrical frames, two dielectric elastomer membranes (DEMs) and an inner free moving ball, can convert vibration energy into electricity. The dynamic and electrical analysis models of the ADEO system are developed under the unidirectional harmonic excitation. Two impact models are verified by experimental results and are compared with each other, and the instantaneous impact model with computational efficiency and accuracy is selected. The rich dynamic behaviors of the ADEO system under diverse parameters, including the excitation amplitude and frequency, the tilt angle, the impact angle and the radius of the curvilinear motion of the ball, are fully investigated through two kinds of bifurcation diagrams and 3-D frequency spectrums. The effects of these parameters on the system EH performance are also studied. The research results show that the system EH performance can be enhanced by appropriately adjusting these parameters. This work can not only help guide the design and optimization of the ADEO system under the unidirectional vibration, but also lay the foundation for the design and optimization of the system in the bidirectional vibration environment.