The nexus between vibration-based energy harvesting and structural vibration control: A comprehensive review

This paper presents the first state-of-the-art review on simultaneous vibration control and energy harvesting strategy, a multi-disciplinary topic related to structural dynamics, mechanical design, and power electronics. The prominent damping effects provided by large-scale vibration-based energy harvesters make the simultaneous control of vibration sources possible. Although the concept of energy-regenerative shock absorbers with vibration control and energy harvesting functions dates back to the 1970s in automotive engineering, the development of such dual-function devices was not extended to broad applications in civil and mechanical structures until 2010. We have witnessed rapid advances in this field in the past decade. A series of feasibility studies, configuration designs, numerical simulations, laboratory experiments, and field tests have demonstrated, to some extent, the great prospect of these dual-function devices in various potential applications. This review first presents different energy transducers and vibration energy sources briefly. Subsequently, different designs and target applications of dual-function devices are elaborated. The power performance in large-scale implementation of dual-function devices is predicted on the order of kilowatt level, which is considerably higher than that of most regular vibration-based energy harvesters and sufficient to power structural health monitoring systems or semi-active/active control systems. The current challenges and potential future research directions of energyharvesting vibration control are also discussed.

Automated summary

This paper presents the first state-of-the-art review on simultaneous vibration control and energy harvesting strategy. It highlights the rapid advances in this field over the past decade and discusses the feasibility, designs, and potential applications of dual-function devices. The power performance of these devices is predicted to be on the kilowatt level, making them suitable for powering structural health monitoring systems or control systems.