Modeling and Analysis of Wave Energy Harvester with Symmetrically Distributed Galfenol Cantilever Beams

Abstract

In response to the challenges of difficult energy supply and high costs in ocean wireless sensor networks, as well as the limited working cycle of chemical batteries, a cylindrical wave energy harvester with symmetrically distributed multi-cantilever beams was designed with Galfenol sheet as the core component. The dynamic equation of the device was established, and ANSYS transient dynamic simulations and Jiles-Atherton hysteresis model analysis were conducted to develop a mathematical model of the induced electromotive force of the Galfenol cantilever beam as a function of deformation. Experimental validation demonstrated that the simulated results of the cantilever beam deformation had an average error of less than 7% compared to the experimental results, while the average error between the theoretical and experimental values of the induced electromotive force of the device was around 15%, which preliminarily verifies the validity of the mathematical model of the device, and should be subject to further research and improvement.