Tunable multi-source energy harvesting via frequency selective structures

In this paper, a novel vibrational energy harvesting device based on frequency selective structures (FSS) with piezoelectric transducers is originally explored. The FSS is a dynamically tailored structural element enabling the required acoustic focusing via vibration localization at prescribed structural areas. This mechanism results in structural areas with the high energy density that can be effectively exploited to develop enhanced vibration-based energy harvesting. In addition, this approach allows to induce localized responses in different structural areas simply by tuning the frequency of the active excitation produced by a single transducer, which is able to achieve multi-source energy harvesting. Fully coupled electromechanical models of the FSS tapered structure with surface mounted piezoelectric transducers are used to numerically simulate the response of the system under the steady-state response and the transient response. The designed performances are numerically evaluated using voltage and power produced by the piezoelectric transducer networks. Results show that the dynamically tailored FSS design enables a multi-source energy harvesting.