Potential benefits of a non-linear stiffness in an energy harvesting device

Ramlan, R., Brennan, M.J., Mace, B.R. and Kovacic, I. (2010) Potential benefits of a non-linear stiffness in an energy harvesting device. Nonlinear Dynamics, 59 (4), 545-558. (doi:10.1007/s11071-009-9561-5).

Abstract

The benefits of using a non-linear stiffness in an energy harvesting device comprising a mass–spring–damper system are investigated. Analysis based on the principle of conservation of energy reveals a fundamental limit of the effectiveness of any non-linear device over a tuned linear device for such an application. Two types of non-linear stiffness are considered. The first system has a non-linear bi-stable snap-through mechanism. This mechanism has the effect of steepening the displacement response of the mass as a function of time, resulting in a higher velocity for a given input excitation. Numerical results show that more power is harvested by the mechanism if the excitation frequency is much less than the natural frequency. The other non-linear system studied has a hardening spring, which has the effect of shifting the resonance frequency. Numerical and analytical studies show that the device with a hardening spring has a larger bandwidth over which the power can be harvested due to the shift in the resonance frequency

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Contributors

Author: B.R. Mace

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