Experimental and computational study of a piezoaeroelastic energy harvester in stochastic mid-range wind environment

Abstract Aeroelastic vibrations present a promising source of energy when coupled with piezoelectric transducers. These transducers convert the mechanical (kinetic) energy from wind-induced vibrations in aeroelastic structures into electrical energy. While they typically perform well under steady wind conditions, real-world wind is often unsteady, varying in both direction and intensity, which can adversely affect energy output. This study investigates energy harvesting from naturally occurring, random ambient vibrations using a galloping-based piezoaeroelastic energy harvester that operates at mid-range wind speeds. A mathematical model is developed to represent the aeroelastic system under stochastic excitation, allowing for analysis of how different parameters influence energy generation. Additionally, experimental investigations are carried out to validate the impact of wind variability on the energy harvesting performance of the system. From both the analytical and experimental investigations, it is evident that the performance of the mid-range wind velocity-based piezoaeroelastic energy harvester is largely affected when introduced into random flow fields.