Modeling of a Novel Magneto-electro-elastic Energy Harvesting System Subjected to Applied Electric Voltage with Simultaneous Use as an Electrical Actuator System

Abstract

This paper introduces a novel harvester to store the electrical power, which comes from the power of external applied electrical voltage. In the last decade, most of the energy harvesters have been designed and analyzed in the form of cantilever beams. In the present article, the harvesters are analyzed as a cantilever beam with the Euler-Bernoulli beam assumptions. The beam of energy harvester consists of an active Magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) layer attached to the piezoelectric layer. Assuming that the connection of these layers is perfect, the uni-morph configuration is investigated. The magneto-electro-elastic governing coupled equations of the MEE energy harvester are derived for a harmonic external applied electrical voltage in the transversal direction based on Euler-Bernoulli theory, Gaussian law, and Faraday law. These equations are solved analytically to find out the amount of harvested power and voltage. The obtained results state that by adjusting the electromechanical parameters, up to 66% of the input power and 27% of the applied voltage can be harvested. Choosing the right geometric parameters can increase the harvested power and voltages connected to the electrodes and external coil by 120.31%, 49.05% and 60.98%, respectively. Finally, the results prove the usefulness and efficiency of the dual-usage (actuator-harvester) of the new energy harvester.