Abstract
In this chapter, the plucking technique of frequency up-conversion is introduced, modelled and applied to energy harvesting. The aim of the technique is to bridge the gap between the high-frequency response of piezoelectric energy harvesters and the low-frequency input that is most often available from the ambient environment. After covering the general principle of plucking excitation, the plucking action is modelled analytically as well as with finite element analysis. Finally, the application of plucked piezoelectric bimorphs to a wearable knee-joint harvester (the pizzicato energy harvester) is discussed in some depth to show the potential of the plucking technique of frequency up-conversion.
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Notes
- 1.
The properties of PZT can be tailored by adjusting the relative concentration of zirconium and titanium as well as by the addition of doping elements.
- 2.
The names series and parallel derive from the configuration of the electrical connections, for example, in a parallel bimorph, the two layers are electrically connected in parallel.
- 3.
The internal shim is optional but normally added to increase the mechanical robustness of the device. Typical materials are stainless steel or brass.
- 4.
It is assumed that the geometrical parameters of the bimorph permit the use the Euler–Bernoulli beam approximation.
- 5.
PZT ceramics are transversely isotropic as the poling direction is different from the other two directions.
- 6.
We are here adhering to the convention, common in piezoelectricity, of naming the stress T and the strain S.
- 7.
Soft PZT is characterised by larger piezoelectric coupling coefficients, which are useful for energy harvesting; hard PZT has lower piezoelectric activity but has also higher-quality factor, which reduces the energy dissipated and is essential in high-frequency resonators.
- 8.
The average power is given by \(P_{\mathrm{av}} = E(t)/t\) (see Eq. (5.25)), where E(t) tends to an asymptotic value for t → ∞.
- 9.
Point P2 identifies the expected location of a plectrum which, due to manufacturing imperfections, was actually too short to interact with the bimorph.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the financial support dstl(MoD) and EPSRC (EP/H020764/1) which sponsored this work. M. Pozzi would like to thank his wife Wimonrat for her support during the research work that led him to the pizzicato energy harvester and the modelling of the plucking excitation—M. Pozzi
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Pozzi, M., Zhu, M. (2013). Plucked Piezoelectric Bimorphs for Energy Harvesting. In: Elvin, N., Erturk, A. (eds) Advances in Energy Harvesting Methods. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5705-3_5
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