Design optimisation of piezoelectric energy harvesters for bridge infrastructure

The use of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters (PEHs) on bridges is explored in this work. First, a PEH model based on Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) is extended to estimate the harvested energy from induced vibration in bridges using a modal reduction and an efficient time integration method. The model is also coupled with the Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) algorithm to find geometry that maximizes energy output. Then, a comprehensive study is conducted to understand the impact of geometry on the PEH performance in a cable-stayed bridge in New South Wales, Australia. The study concludes that tuning the device with one resonance frequency does not guarantee optimal energy generation. Then, a shape optimisation framework is proposed and tested for the field data from the cable-stayed bridge.