Influence of Mechanical Couplings on the Dynamical Behavior and Energy Harvesting of a Composite Structure

In this paper, the dynamical behavior of composite material is analyzed, including the energy harvesting effect. The composite is modeled by the Finite Element Method (FEM) and is made of pre-impregnate with a matrix of thermosetting epoxy resin reinforced with high-strength R-type glass fibers, and it is designed as a beam structure that is exposed to mechanical vibrations. The structure assumed the form of a beam with a substantially rectangular cross section. The couplings of motion occurring between mode shapes at properly selected fiber orientations are investigated. The beams with determined sets of composite layers and a coupling effect are used to recover electricity from the mechanical vibrations in the vicinity of the first resonance zone. The composite with a certain number of fiber glass layers has assumed an orientation relative to the beam axis. The new values found in this paper are the intensity of the coupling between the bending in the stiff and flexible directions of the beam for a chosen fiber layer stacking sequence. Additionally, the influence of layer configuration on the energy harvesting efficiency of the Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) piezoelectric element is assessed.