In this study, an energy harvesting strategy that utilizes the input-independent, invariant transition waves in periodic lattices of bistable elements is explored. We observe that oscillatory tails are induced in a discrete array as transition waves propagate along the lattice. The generated tail at each unit cell vibrates predominantly at a single frequency, which indicates that the tail energy can be efficiently harvested through resonant transduction mechanisms. We introduce inertially and elastically equivalent lattice models to study the discreteness effect of the bistable lattice on the characteristic behaviors of the oscillatory tails and observe that the energy harvesting potential from transition waves can be significantly increased with growing discreteness.

Date Published: 21 March 2019
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 10967, Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems XIII, 109670B (21 March 2019); doi: 10.1117/12.2514426

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10967:
Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems XIII
Alper Erturk, Editor(s)