Improving energy harvesting by stochastic resonance in a laminated bistable beam

This paper presents a bistable energy harvesting device as piezoelectric beam acted upon by a harmonic axial load and a transverse random excitation. A comprehensive analytical study for stochastic resonance in the bistable mechanical system is carried out, from which the system can harvest energy at a high efficiency. The bistable electromechanical model is set up and the corresponding equations are derived by extended Hamilton principle. The condition for occurrence of stochastic resonance is derived by Kramers rate. Numerical simulation is carried out and results are obtained. Stochastic resonance is proved and observed when the system is excited by a Gaussian white noise. The output voltage and power conversion in the condition of stochastic resonance is noticeably higher than those in other conditions. These results can provide a theoretical method for preliminary design and optimization of parameters, which can improve the efficiency of energy harvester.