Abstract
Vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is currently extensively studied as a potential method for small-scale piezo-electric energy harvesting. Here, we experimentally investigated the parameters that influence VIV of a vibrating cylinder attached to a cantilever beam. This paper is primarily focused on investigating the range of airflow velocities that can induce system vibrations, quantifying the maximum amplitudes of vibration, and determining the critical airflow velocities at which vibrations reach their maximum. These investigations are conducted while systematically varying key system parameters, including mass, stiffness, and cylinder diameter. Some of the key-findings of this research include that larger cylinder diameters lead to greater vibration amplitude and broader operating bandwidths. Furthermore, an increase in system mass results in a reduction in the bandwidth of vibration, while greater system stiffness enhances both the maximum amplitude of vibration and the overall bandwidth. Since vibration amplitude is directly related to power production for piezoelectric harvesters, the findings in this research contribute to a better understanding of the VIV energy harvesters, validate many modeling efforts, and offer practical guidelines for enhancing their efficiencies. These findings open new opportunities for sustainable energy generation through the exploitation of ambient fluid-induced vibrations in various practical applications.
