Abstract Energy harvesting by using functional materials in suspension systems bear potential to win-back certain (even if low) amounts of vibrational energy, otherwise dissipated via the conventional (passive) dampers. Piezoelectric (PE) ceramics are functional materials that can be used for transforming mechanical energy into electrical and vice versa. In this paper, we study the capabilities and efficiency of energy harvesting (EH) with PE transducers under two different kinds of external excitation: i) Periodic and ii) stochastic. An appropriate nonlinear lumped parameter electromechanical model (LPEM) is brought into the two-port network notation. Laboratory experiments were conducted under periodic external force-controlled excitation performed on a universal test machine (UTM). The two-port model parameters were identified and the model was validated by comparing results of numerical simulations and experiments. Extended simulations have been conducted to investigate the EH capabilities of PE transducers in automotive applications, i.e. EH in suspension systems under the standardized road conditions. The analysis results of the power conversion and EH efficiency are presented and discussed.

中文翻译：

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使用压电换能器进行悬架系统的能量收集

摘要 通过在悬架系统中使用功能材料收集能量有可能赢回某些（即使很少）数量的振动能量，否则会通过传统（被动）阻尼器耗散。压电 (PE) 陶瓷是一种功能材料，可用于将机械能转化为电能，反之亦然。在本文中，我们研究了 PE 换能器在两种不同外部激励下的能量收集 (EH) 的能力和效率：i) 周期性和 ii) 随机。适当的非线性集总参数机电模型 (LPEM) 被引入到双端口网络符号中。实验室实验是在通用试验机 (UTM) 上进行的周期性外力控制激励下进行的。通过比较数值模拟和实验结果，确定了双端口模型参数并验证了模型。已经进行了扩展模拟来研究 PE 换能器在汽车应用中的 EH 能力，即在标准化道路条件下悬挂系统中的 EH。介绍和讨论了功率转换和 EH 效率的分析结果。