Galloping of structures such as transmission lines and bridges is a classical aeroelastic instability that has been considered as harmful and destructive. However, there exists potential to harness useful energy from this phenomenon. This paper focuses on harvesting wind energy that is being transferred to a galloping beam. The beam has a rigid tip body with a D-shaped cross section. Piezoelectric sheets are bonded on the top and bottom surface of the beam. During galloping, vibrational motion is input to the system due to aerodynamic forces on the D-section, which is converted into electrical energy by the piezoelectric (PZT) sheets. The relative importance of various parameters of the system such as wind speed, material properties of the beam, electrical load and beam’s natural frequency are discussed. Experimental and analytical investigations of dynamic response and power output are performed on a representative device. A maximum output power of 1.14 mW was measured at a wind velocity of 10.5 mph on a prototype device of length 235 mm and width 25 mm. A potential application for this device is to power wireless sensor networks on outdoor structures such as bridges and buildings.
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e-mail: jayant.sirohi@mail.utexas.edu
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February 2012
Research Papers
Harvesting Wind Energy Using a Galloping Piezoelectric Beam
Jayant Sirohi,
Jayant Sirohi
Assistant Professor
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics,
e-mail: jayant.sirohi@mail.utexas.edu
The University of Texas at Austin
, 1 University Station, C0600, Austin, TX 78712-0235
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Rohan Mahadik
Rohan Mahadik
Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics,
The University of Texas at Austin
, 1 University Station, C0600, Austin, TX 78712-0235
Search for other works by this author on:
Jayant Sirohi
Assistant Professor
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics,
The University of Texas at Austin
, 1 University Station, C0600, Austin, TX 78712-0235e-mail: jayant.sirohi@mail.utexas.edu
Rohan Mahadik
Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics,
The University of Texas at Austin
, 1 University Station, C0600, Austin, TX 78712-0235J. Vib. Acoust. Feb 2012, 134(1): 011009 (8 pages)
Published Online: December 28, 2011
Article history
Received:
October 4, 2010
Revised:
May 9, 2011
Accepted:
May 24, 2011
Online:
December 28, 2011
Published:
December 28, 2011
Citation
Sirohi, J., and Mahadik, R. (December 28, 2011). "Harvesting Wind Energy Using a Galloping Piezoelectric Beam." ASME. J. Vib. Acoust. February 2012; 134(1): 011009. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4004674
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