Harnessing Postbuckling Instability of Piezoelectric Cylinders with Corrugation for Energy Harvesting

In this study, we explore the postbuckling instability of piezoelectric-integrated cylinders under axial displacement for energy harvest applications. Experiments are conducted using 3D printed cylinders with piezoelectric transducers bonded on their outer and inner surfaces. The local and global postbuckling responses of the cylinders are triggered based on their design and geometry. Numerical simulations are carried out to study the effect of varying cylinder geometries on the harvested energy. A comparative study is performed between the numerical and experimental results. Furthermore, a corrugated design is proposed to tailor the postbuckling response of the cylinders from local buckling to global buckling. The results shows that the new corrugated designs for the cylinders improves the energy harvesting efficiency.

Automated summary

The study found that corrugated designs can effectively improve the energy harvesting efficiency of cylinders. Both numerical simulations and experimental results yielded similar conclusions that the geometry of cylinders has a significant impact on energy harvesting.