Subharmonic responses of a nonlinear energy harvester with an asymmetric double well potential

Abstract

Abstract A nonlinear energy harvester with asymmetric potential wells is studied numerically. An energy transducing piezoelectric patch is attached to the cantilever elastic beam to harvest kinetic energy of the moving frame. To obtain an asymmetric effect in the double well potential induced by permanent magnets, an elastic ferromagnetic beam resonator misaligned with respect to the magnets' distribution axis of symmetry was used. The system response under the frequency-swept excitation reporting bifurcations to subharmonic and chaotic solutions was analysed. The sensitivity of the system solutions to the parameters responsible for potential asymmetry and electro-mechanical coupling was also investigated.