Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting From Nonlinear Aeroelastic Vibrations

In this paper, the modeling and analysis of a nonlinear rectangular plate-like wing with embedded piezoceramics is presented for aeroelastic energy harvesting. The nonlinear electromechanical finite-element plate model is based on the von Karman plate assumptions while the unsteady aerodynamic model uses the doublet-lattice method (originally in frequency domain). The aerodynamic model is converted to the time domain by using Roger’s approximation. A load resistance is considered in the electrical domain of the problem. The set of nonlinear equations is solved with the iterative Newton-Raphson method and the generalized alpha method is used to numerically integrate the equations. Five different wing configurations with aspect ratios varying from one to five are investigated. The effect of the aspect ratio on the linear aeroelastic behavior is first investigated for the short circuit condition. Later, the nonlinear electroaeroelastic behavior is investigated for a range of load resistances and the different aspect ratios of the linear case. The effects of aspect ratio and load resistance on the cut-in speed of limit cycle oscillations (LCOs), on the range of airflow speeds of LCOs of acceptable amplitudes and also on the mechanical and electrical outputs of the generator are investigated.