A Low Cost Generator Concept for Energy Harvesting Applications

This paper examines piezoelectric disc benders as energy generators for self-powered systems. PZT-steel composites are sensitive to low frequency stimuli and furthermore to aperiodic excitation e.g. by pressure pulses. A coupled-field FE analysis was carried out to evaluate the electrical output for different disc sizes. The numerical model serves as a tool to specify the properties of the disc benders for different load applications. Beside a replacement of passive damper systems and a harvesting of dissipated energy, piezoelectric disc benders can retrieve information from their ambience and hence operate as self-sufficient sensors. Low cost parts and the simple mechanical bearing were chosen to maximize the output of the generator and especially to push energy harvesting devices towards practical applications.