Modeling and analysis of a coupled novel nonlinear magneto-electro-aeroelastic lumped model for a flutter based energy harvesting system

Abstract

Abstract The present paper investigates the modeling and analysis of a novel aeroelastic energy harvesting system using magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) material considering the nonlinear elastic effects of the structure. The main aim of using this group of composite materials, as compared to common piezoelectric materials used in aeroelastic harvesters, is to increase the harvested electrical power. The proposed model to improve energy harvesting is composed of a rigid airfoil connected to an elastic beam, with the elastic beam covered by one or two layers of MEE material and two electrodes connected to the top and bottom of the MEE layers to harvest the electric potential from the generated electric field. An external coil was also provided around the oscillating beam to induce the electrical energy generated by the magnetic field established within the MEE layer. Firstly, simulating the harvesting system as a discrete model considering bending and torsional cubic nonlinear springs, the governing equations are extracted using the constitutive equations of MEE materials, Gauss’s law, and Faraday’s law of induction through Hamilton’s principle. Next, the effects of different design parameters are evaluated to find their optimal values to maximize the generated power as well as the harvester stability. Finally, a comparison is made between the considered MEE harvester and a piezo-aeroelastic (PA) energy harvester, indicating the superiority of the proposed MEE energy harvester.