Response of the air flow energy harvester with two side-by-side bluff-bodies of various shapes
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C. Abdul Hakeem College of Engineering and Technology
2
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Lublin University of Technology, Nadbystrzycka 36, 20-618 Lublin, Poland
Corresponding author
Mateusz Waśkowicz
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Lublin University of Technology, Nadbystrzycka 36, 20-618 Lublin, Poland
J. Ecol. Eng. 2025; 26(4):238-249
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ABSTRACT
We report the experimental results of flow energy harvesting where the bluff-bodies with different shapes of cross-section are mounted at the ends of the cantilever beams. Namely, bluff-bodies as cylinders and rectangles were considered for the interaction with flowing air. The bluff-bodies are coupled through the joint suspension frame where the other cantilever ends were clamped and coupled additionally by vortices created in the space between them. Finally, piezoelectric patches with corresponding electrical circuits were attached to the cantilever beams. They transduce the mechanical energy of the beam-bluff-body resonators into the electrical power. The resulting structure oscillated interacting with the airflow with a range of velocities. High amplitude oscillations caused by the interaction of vortices produced larger voltage response in the electric circuits. As the bluff-bodies of different shapes respond differently, we observed the moderate voltage output over a wider velocity range. For illustration of the energy transduction mechanism and qualitative validation of the experimental results, numerical simulations were performed. We show the differences in the vortex formation and shedding responsible for the vibrations induced in the mechanical structure.