Modelling and Laboratory Tests of the Temperature Influence on the Efficiency of the Energy Harvesting System Based on MFC Piezoelectric Transducers

Abstract

Macro Fibre Composites (MFC) are very effective piezoelectric transducers that, among others, can be used as elements of energy harvesting systems. The possibility to generate electric energy, for example, from mechanical vibrations in order to power electrical elements that could not be powered in another way (using wires or batteries) is a great solution. However, such a kind of systems has to be designed by considering all phenomena that could occur during the exploitation of the system. One of those phenomena is the temperature fluctuation during the device operation. In the presented research work, a mathematical model of the energy harvesting system based on MFC transducers is proposed. The mathematical model was validated by laboratory tests conducted on a laboratory stand equipped with a universal mechanical testing machine (Instron Electropuls 10000) and a thermal chamber. During the tests, the samples were subjected to cyclic excitation simulating the operation of the system in various environmental conditions by forcing changes in the system operation temperature with the constant conditions of its excitation.