Performance Enhancement of an Aeroelastic Energy Harvester for Efficient Power Harvesting from Concurrent Wind Flows and Base Vibrations

In this paper, using a high frequency mechanical stopper as a complementary energy harvester is proposed to improve the performance of energy harvesting from concurrent wind flows and base vibrations. Galloping aeroelasticity of a square-sectioned bluff body is employed to achieve limit-cycle structural oscillations. The analysis demonstrates that the bandwidth for effectively harnessing both aerodynamic and base vibratory energy is substantially widened, and simultaneously, the total power amplitude is significantly enhanced as compared to the original linear galloping energy harvester. It is concluded that the proposed system is viable solution to enhance energy conversion in situations where wind flows and base vibrations are coexisting.