Model order reduction for moving objects: fast simulation of vibration energy harvesters

Abstract

Purpose – The finite element method (FEM) for 3D models needs heavy computational cost. The computational cost for FE analysis of moving objects, e.g. Vibration energy harvester, must be reduced to exploit the simulation of the dynamic system in its design. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – To reduce the computational time of FEM, the model order reduction (MOR) based on proper orthogonal decomposition has been proposed. For the moving systems, MOR is modified. Findings – It is shown that proposed MOR makes it possible to drastically reduce the coupling analysis of the energy harvester in which the equations of motion, magnetostatics, and circuit are repeatedly solved. Originality/value – To reduce the computational time of FEM, block-MOR is presented, in which the whole domain is subdivided into N-blocks. As a result computational cost for MOR can be reduced.