Utilising Nonlinear Air Damping as a Soft Mechanical Stopper for MEMS Vibration Energy Harvesting

[摘要] This paper reports on the theory and experimental verification of utilising air damping as a soft stopper mechanism for piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting to enhance shock resistance. Experiments to characterise device responsiveness under various vibration conditions were performed at different air pressure levels, and a dimensionless model was constructed with nonlinear damping terms included to model PVEH response. The relationship between the quadratic damping coefficient ζnand air pressure is empirically established, and an optimal pressure level is calculated to trade off harvestable energy and device robustness for specific environmental conditions.

[发布机构] Nanoscience Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge; CB3 OFF, United Kingdom^1;Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Chester, Chester; CH1 4BJ, United Kingdom^2

[效力级别] 能源学

[关键词] Dimensionless models;Experimental verification;Nonlinear damping;Piezoelectric vibration;Specific environmental conditions;Stopper mechanism;Vibration condition;Vibration energy harvesting