Loading...
Aeroelastic Behavior of a Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Flag Under Wind Excitation
Tripathi, Dheeraj Ghommem, Mehdi Abdelkefi, Abdessattar Romdhane, Lotfi
Tripathi, Dheeraj
Ghommem, Mehdi
Abdelkefi, Abdessattar
Romdhane, Lotfi
Date
2024-11
Advisor
Type
Article
Degree
Files
Loading...
Chapter 3.pdf
Adobe PDF, 3.12 MB
Description
Abstract
This study aims to advance the understanding of alternative energy sources by exploring flag-based flutter energy harvesters. A smart piezoelectric flag equipped with an MFC patch on a steel substrate is designed and subjected to experimental aeroelastic and energy harvesting analyses under various inflow conditions. The research reveals that under streamlined flow, flutter occurs at higher flow speeds, but can be induced at lower speeds if subcriticality is effectively triggered, thus potentially enhancing energy harvesting at reduced flow speeds. Conversely, under vortex-induced excitation, the flag demonstrates limited energy harvesting potential at smaller gap distances from the upstream bluff body. However, larger gap distances facilitate energy capture at lower flow speeds. The study examines the impact of bluff body diameter on the performance of the piezoelectric flags using cylinder A (2 cm diameter) and cylinder B (3 cm diameter). Results indicate that while cylinder A results in reduced energy harvesting efficiency, cylinder B significantly enhances it. Overall, this study identifies the optimal conditions for maximizing energy harvesting from aeroelastic flutter, considering the combined effects of flag positioning, flow characteristics, bluff body shape, and wind speed. To the best of our knowledge, a hand in hand analysis of these parameters has not been explored in the hitherto literature.