Numerical and experimental study on the frequency tuning characteristics of a rotating piezoelectric energy harvester

We present an experimental and simulative approach for a rotating energy harvester. An experimental setup is introduced that prescribes controlled accelerations in different directions to a rotating shaft holding a harvesting structure. We show measurement results for a cantilever-type piezoelectric harvester and compare them to simulations. The finite element method (FEM) was applied for numerical modeling of different harvesting structures under the impact of a rotating environment. The involved effects are highlighted and their importance for the frequency tuning properties of cantilever sheets of different shapes is determined.