Abstract
Bistable energy harvesters have been extensively studied. However, theoretical research on the dynamics of bistable energy harvesters based on asymmetric bistable composite laminated plate and shell structures has not been conducted. In this paper, a theoretical model on the dynamics of an energy harvester based on an asymmetric bistable composite laminated shell is established. The dynamic snap-through, the nonlinear vibrations and the voltage output with two potential wells of the bistable energy harvester are studied. The influence of the amplitude and the frequency for the base excitation on the bistable energy harvester is studied. When the frequency for the base excitation with a suitable amplitude in the frequency sweeping is located in a specific range or the amplitude for the base excitation with a suitable frequency in the amplitude sweeping is located in a specific range, the large-amplitude dynamic snap-through, nonlinear vibrations and voltage output with two potential wells can be found to occur. The amplitude and the frequency for the base excitation interact on each other for the specific amplitude or frequency range which migrates due to the softening nonlinearity. The vibration in the process of the dynamic snap-through behaves as the chaotic vibration. The nonlinear vibrations of the bistable system behave as the periodic vibration, the quasi-periodic vibration and the chaotic vibration. This study provides a theoretical reference for the design of energy harvesters based on asymmetric bistable composite laminated plate and shell structures.
Highlights
Bistable composite laminated plate and shell structures have two equilibrium configurations, so the large-amplitude dynamic snap-through and nonlinear vibrations may occur in dynamic environments, which greatly promotes the development of energy harvesters
The frequency sweeping with a constant amplitude and the amplitude sweeping with a constant frequency are carried out respectively
Due to the two equilibrium positions, the voltage output of the bistable energy harvester behaves as the large-amplitude dynamic snapthrough and nonlinear vibrations with two potential wells shown in Figures 13 and 14
Summary
Bistable composite laminated plate and shell structures have two equilibrium configurations, so the large-amplitude dynamic snap-through and nonlinear vibrations may occur in dynamic environments, which greatly promotes the development of energy harvesters. Lee and Inman [31] designed an asymmetric bistable composite laminated plate and shell structure by using two orthogonal MFCs (macro-fiber composites) for broadband energy harvesting. There has been much research on many different kinds of bistable energy harvesters, the research on energy harvesters based on asymmetric bistable composite laminated plate and shell structures were focused on experiments. A dynamic model of an energy harvester based on an asymmetric bistable composite laminated shell is established. The dynamic snap-through, the nonlinear vibrations and the voltage output with two potential wells of the bistable energy harvester are given. When the amplitude and the frequency for the base excitation jointly achieve the maximum optimization, the large-amplitude dynamic snap-through and voltage output can be realized in a very ideal amplitude or frequency range for the base excitation
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