Investigation of energy harvesting in composite beams with different lamination angles under dynamic effects

Abstract

In this study, energy harvesting from cantilever composite beams produced at different lamination angles was experimentally investigated. In this regard, three different eight layered laminated composite beams are considered, i.e., {0 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees, 90 degrees}s, {-30 degrees, 60 degrees, -30 degrees, 60 degrees}s and {-45 degrees, 45 degrees, -45 degrees, 45 degrees}s. energy harvest performances were analyzed under different external dynamics inputs by bonding piezoelectric material to the surface of composite beams. Firstly, the composite beam harvesting structure was excited by air-flow. In those experiments, three different types of bluff-body geometry elements were attached to the free end for each of the considered composite beams. In order to determine the maximum power output, different resistors are attached to the piezoelectric material. As a second dynamic input, an electromagnetic actuator operating on the Lorentz principle is used. By using this electromagnetic actuator, the structures are excited by harmonic inputs with different frequencies and frequency-voltage responses were obtained. Besides, vibration amplitudes and voltage outputs were analyzed for both excitation types.