Investigation of Asymmetrical Configurations for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting From Fluid Flow

Energy harvesting from wind-induced flutter using piezoelectric Polyvinyledene Fluoride (PVDF) was investigated. Previous studies suggested that coupled bending-torsion mechanical vibrations were capable of producing about 30% more power output compared to a pure bending case. In this work, asymmetrical configurations, with amplification devices hinged to the PVDF, capable of bending-torsion vibrations were investigated for energy harvesting from fluid flow. Results indicated that asymmetrical configurations, when excited by fluid flow, were more prone to chaotic flapping and hence provided lower power output compared to a symmetrical harvester. Also, asymmetrical configurations were more prone to fatigue due to excessive non-linear strains. A detailed study of the power output, flutter behavior, piezoelectric operating modes and their limitations are provided in this work.