Parametric study of a novel magneto-electro-aeroelastic energy harvesting system

Abstract

This paper investigates a parametric study on a novel type of flutter-based aeroelastic harvester by utilizing magneto-electro-elastic materials, which can be used as an alternative to piezoelectric materials in aeroelastic harvesters to enhance the output electric power. The considered model includes a deformable clamped beam attached to a rigid airfoil, covering with one or two magneto-electro-elastic layers. Connected electrodes to magneto-electro-elastic layers capture potential electric from the produced electric field. Furthermore, an extrinsic coil is wrapped around the vibrating beam to produce the magnetic-based electric energy in the applied magneto-electro-elastic layer. First, the harvesting system is modeled as a discrete model to derive the governing equations using Faraday and Gauss laws, and the constitutive equations of magneto-electro-elastic materials according to Hamilton's principle. Then, different configurations have been examined and compared. Afterward, the effect of various parameters on the chosen harvester characteristics is investigated through considering stability to determine the optimal parameters resulting in the highest electric power generation. Lastly, the efficiency of the magneto-electro-aeroelastic harvester is compared with a piezo-aeroelastic counterpart indicating the supremacy of the presented harvester.