An iterative finite element method for piezoelectric energy harvesting composite with implementation to lifting structures under Gust Load Conditions

In this paper, a novel iterative finite element method (FEM) for energy harvesting purpose is presented. In this iterative FEM, the electromechanical coupling in the governing piezoelectric energy harvesting equation is separated into two parts. One part is an actuator-like problem and can be evaluated with ease via commercial software. The solution of the other part, for voltage generation, is obtained straightforward utilising the structural response of the earlier part. These two parts are solved iteratively until the convergence in voltage and structural responses is reached. The new iterative FEM is implemented to solve the dynamic problems of piezoelectric-based energy harvester in the frequency and time domains. The application of the present iterative FEM to evaluate the piezoelectric energy harvesting of lifting structures under an aeroelastic condition, i.e., gust load, is shown in some details. The validation against other methods from the literature shows the robustness and capabilities of the iterative FEM.