Finite element analysis of magnetostrictive vibration energy harvester
ISSN: 0332-1649
Article publication date: 9 November 2012
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to analyze the behavior of the Galfenol rods under bending conditions that are employed in a vibration energy harvester by illustrating the spatial variations in stress and magnetic field.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper describes a 3‐D static finite element model of magnetostrictive materials, considering magnetic and elastic boundary value problems that are bidirectionally coupled through stress and field dependent variables. The finite element method is applied to a small vibration‐driven generator of magnetostrictive type employing Iron‐Gallium alloy (Galfenol).
Findings
The 3‐D static finite element modeling presented here highlights the spatial variations in magnetic field and relative permeability due to the corresponding stress distribution in the Galfenol rods subjected to transverse load. The numerical calculations show that about 1.1 T change in magnetic flux density is achieved which demonstrates the effectiveness of the inspected vibration‐driven generator in voltage generation and energy harvesting. The model predictions agree with the experimental results and are coherent with the magnetostriction phenomenon.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils the behavior analysis of Galfenol rods under transverse load that includes both compression and tension. The compressive and tensile stresses contributions to change in magnetic flux densities in the Galfenol rods were calculated by which the effectiveness of the inspected vibration‐driven generator in voltage generation and energy harvesting is demonstrated.
Keywords
Citation
Rezaeealam, B. (2012), "Finite element analysis of magnetostrictive vibration energy harvester", COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, Vol. 31 No. 6, pp. 1757-1773. https://doi.org/10.1108/03321641211267100
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited