Modeling of a distributed device for simultaneous reactive vibration suppression and energy harvesting

Distributed devices or treatments are a mainstay of passively suppressing structural vibrations. In some cases, piezoelectric materials were included within the devices to utilize them as actuators. Interest in energy harvesting encourages a reassessment of these devices, using the piezoelectric materials as a means to convert input vibrational energy into electrical power. A numerical model of one such device, exhibiting mass-spring-damper dynamics, attached to a vibrating host structure is described and validated against 3D finite element analysis. The model is utilized to evaluate the simultaneous goals of passive vibration attenuation and energy harvesting of devices on a lightweight, clamped panel. The objectives are found to be partly in opposition, particularly when the total mass of the added devices becomes more substantial. This feature is widely neglected in employing mass-spring systems as energy-harvesting devices, where the mass of the device is insubstantial relative to the main structure. As a result, compromises or alternatives may be explored to achieve both goals: the implementation of materials exhibiting greater electromechanical coupling, minimization of total applied mass to the host structure, and retuning of attached devices to exhibit natural frequencies not exactly equal to those of the host structure.