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A bio-mimicking aeroelastic energy harvester
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Tucker Harvey, S, (2020) A bio-mimicking aeroelastic energy harvester. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b3714567~S1
Abstract
The deployment of small autonomous electrical devices is set to revolutionise many industries with applications from wearable devices to structural monitoring of bridges. However, current developments of small autonomous electrical devices are limited by the restrictions of energy storage, such as finite lifespan and environmental impact. Energy harvesters aim to solve this problem by converting energy from readily available ambient sources. The work presented in this thesis relates to the development of an alternative geometry for an aeroelastic energy harvester, which was initially inspired by the trembling of aspen leaves in barely noticeable winds. The geometry, known as the curved-blade, forms oscillations due to the galloping instability, which can be exploited for energy harvesting. The dynamics of a prototype device are investigated resulting in the discovery of two distinct branches of oscillations separated significantly in amplitude. Flow visualisations demonstrate the flow to become attached in the higher amplitude branch, allowing the curved-blade to act similarly to an aerofoil, rather than the bluff bodies which have most commonly been studied. This regime presents the opportunity of improved harvesting efficiencies. To aid in the further investigation of the device, a method is developed which enables the energy harvesting performance to be characterised from the free oscillation transient. The method avoids the implementation and optimisation of a transduction mechanism and could be applied to many other energy generating devices. The method was applied to curved-blades of varying curvatures and the optimal curvature range found to coincide with the range in which the flow becomes attached, illustrating that the attachment of the flow acts to enhance the performance. Additionally, the cyclic formation and shedding of a leading edge vortex was observed, however further work is required to investigate whether these unsteady flow structures are beneficial to performance.
Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) | ||||
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Subjects: | T Technology > TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering |
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Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Energy harvesting, Aeroelasticity -- Mathematical models, Biomimicry, Wind turbines -- Aerodynamics | ||||
Official Date: | April 2020 | ||||
Dates: |
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Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
Theses Department: | School of Engineering | ||||
Thesis Type: | PhD | ||||
Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Denissenko, Petr ; Khovanov, Igor | ||||
Format of File: | |||||
Extent: | x, 111 leaves : illustrations (chiefly colour) | ||||
Language: | eng |
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