Piezoelectric wind energy harvester of bi-stable hybrid symmetric laminates

In this work, a bistable piezoelectric wind energy harvester (BPEH) is proposed, which is primarily made of bistable hybrid symmetric laminate (BHSL) and PZT, manufactured through a curing process. The air-solid-electric coupled finite element analysis model is established to simulate the dynamic response behavior of the BPEH and investigate the effects of varying airflow velocities on the flow field characteristics and performance output. A series of experimental studies on BPEH were conducted in the wind speed range of 8.5 m/s-16.5 m/s. The results show that at a wind speed of 14.5 m/s, the BPEH has an optimum external load of 60 kΩ, a maximum power output of 7.21 mW and a maximum amplitude of 93.065 mm. Therefore, the simple structure of the harvester proposed in this work may open a new way for bistable composite structures to acquire wind energy widely in natural environments.