Energy harvesting from low-frequency vibrations of hanger using PVDF: An experimental study and performance analysis

Piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEH) are widely used to collect piezoelectric energy. However, adapting to different engineering application environments is difficult for traditional PEHs. To improve the engineering application value of PEH, a hanger piezoelectric energy harvester (HPEH) based on low frequency vibration of hanger is proposed in this paper. A dynamic electromechanical coupling model was established for hanger structure, and the effects of the external load resistance, the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric film installation location, the stability of the PVDF piezoelectric film with different winding methods, and the external excitation amplitude on the energy output performance of the HPEH were studied. Results indicate that the optimal load resistance of the HPEH studied in this paper is 1.0 MΩ; the PVDF piezoelectric film location has a significant impact on the performance of the HPEH, and the output power is highest at hanger Lc/4; the PVDF piezoelectric films during ring winding is better than those in spiral winding for the same external cycle excitation; in the external excitation amplitude range of 2d–6d (d: hanger diameter), appropriately increasing the external excitation amplitude is conducive to improving the output voltage of the HPEH, with the root mean square voltage increasing by 95.11 % at external excitation amplitude A = 6d compared with that at the initial excitation amplitude. It provides an innovative solution for the field of cable structures and new energy sources, and the further research and application of this technology is expected to have a profound impact in the field of energy sustainability and engineering technology.