A Nonlinear Energy Harvester Using Bi-Stability for Self-Powered Health Monitoring of High-Speed Trains

A bistable nonlinear energy harvester for rail transport is proposed, designed to effectively harvest vibration energy during train operation and facilitate health monitoring. Under the influence of two limit springs and a stationary magnet, the movable magnet exhibits bistable dynamics. The outer coil of the sleeve features a tapered shape, resulting in a notable increase in the system's output power. A prototype was fabricated, and experimental testing was conducted under conditions similar to freight trains. The harvester demonstrates a wide operating bandwidth from 9 to 44 Hz. A measured peak output power of 60 mW was obtained with a resistive load of 2600 ohms, under the acceleration of 3.2g and 25 Hz. This work provides a promising solution to power wireless monitoring of rail trains in a self-sustained and battery-free manner.