Energy harvesting from a piezo-elastic beam with a tip mass caused by vortex induced vibrations around a cylinder

Energy harvesting from the existing vibrations in nature and converting it into electrical energy causes the recovery of wasted energies and their optimal use. The obtained electrical energy can be used as a cheap, continuous and clean source to power low-consumption equipment such as sensors, actuators, controllers, medical equipment, etc.This article contains a rigid horizontal cylinder that has only vertical movement and is bounded by 4 springs.As a result of the wind hitting to the cylinder, a vortex induction force acts to the cylinder and causes vibration in the direction of perpendicular to the wind flow. A piezo-elastic energy harvesting system is placed inside this cylinder, which is connected to the horizontal cylinder through the fixed part of the beam.In fact, with the movement of the horizontal cylinder and through the vibration of the base, the force is transferred to the fixed part of the beam and causes the vibration of the piezo-elastic beam. The induced nonlinear force of the vortex due to the impact of the wind on the horizontal cylinder is calculated by applying the Vanderpol equation and its effect on the vibration of the equivalent system is investigated.Then, by using the piezoelectric element installed on the beam, the electric energy will be collected as the voltage. Here, the optimal wind speed and also the optimal electrical resistance are calculated in order to maximize the output electrical power. At the end, the effect of different parameters on the output power is investigated.