Energy harvesting using a circular cylindrical shell laminated with a segmented piezoelectric layer

Energy harvesting based on the direct piezoelectric effect using the curvature structures is a new endeavor in engineering applications. This study focuses on energy harvesting from mechanical vibrations through a simply supported circular cylindrical shell laminated with segmented piezoelectric energy harvester patches. The voltage (or modal signal) induced by the modal strains of the piezoelectric patch due to the direct piezoelectric effect can be further converted to modal energy. The spatially distribution of the modal energy are evaluated and compared in two piezoelectric energy harvester patch sizes.