Axle mounted piezoelectric energy harvester for continuous energy harvesting from rotation and vibration

Abstract An axle mounted piezoelectric energy harvester is developed for harvesting energy from rotation. The purpose is to generate power for acceleration sensors, wireless communication and data processing in condition and performance monitoring of rotating machinery. Contrary to many vibration based solutions, in this work the vibrations are not the main source of energy, but the rotation of the shaft itself. The rotation is converted into piezoelectric beam vibrations via gravity and inertial mass. This produces constant and predictable source of power not affected by the unbalance vibrations of the machinery. The prototype was designed using FEM-modeling and manufactured using PZT-5A active material and steel as the passive material. Practical measurements and characterization were carried out using a small motor and data logger for measuring the power output during motor rotation at various speeds