Vibrational energy harvesting using smart materials

• Main Author: Ang, Kim Gek
• Other Authors: Yang Yaowen
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Civil engineering::Structures and design
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/38632
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The Final Year Project (FYP) is an integral component in the Civil and Environmental Engineering course that aims to extend the knowledge and experience gained by the student throughout the academic course. This report illustrates the type of work undertaken so far ever since the author has taken up the project. The main work scope for her is to investigate the energy harvesting performances of different smart materials attached on a host structure, which is subjected to base vibration. The focus of the student’s part would be on the design and analysis of structural configuration in this project, while her project partner would be covering the storage capacitor design and circuit simulation. During the process of work done, the author had the opportunity to do preparation work, for instance preparing experimental specimens and clamping supports. Eventually the aim of this project would be to establish and substantiate some form of guidelines of the optimal combination of the type of materials and storage capacitors used and beam configurations that would produce the optimal power generated, energy harvesting adequacy and its effectiveness. The different smart materials used and the experimental procedures would be illustrated in the later chapters.