Signature of coupling of potentials in non-linear energy harvesters with enhanced figure of merit

Abstract

This paper reports electromagnetically transduced multistable non-linear vibrational energy harvesters to exploit the combined dynamical effects of monostable and bistable non-linear potential energies in a single system, by utilizing the stretching of specially designed cascaded tapered spring topology along with repulsive magnetic levitation. Using comprehensive (analytical and numerical) simulations and experimental validations, we reveal the signature of coupling and its key characteristics present in multimodal non-linear wideband energy harvesters. Here, a dynamical root-tracking technique is employed to trace stable, unstable, and hidden solution branches systematically, which enables predictive configuring of physical experimental parameters to realize previously inaccessible high response dynamical regimes along with a higher normalized power integral density metric. Thus, by tuning the powerful interplay between the numerical continuation framework and available physical parameters, we offer a robust technique for optimizing design and output performances in all such types of energy harvesting systems (independent of the scale and transduction) for their enhanced figure of merit.