1,720,961 research outputs found
Optimum resistive loads for vibration-based electromagnetic energy harvesters with a stiffening nonlinearity
No full textThe exploitation of nonlinear behavior in vibration-based energy harvesters has received much attention over the last decade. One key motivation is that the presence of nonlinearities can potentially increase the bandwidth over which the excitation is amplified and therefore the efficiency of the device. In the literature, references to resonating energy harvesters featuring nonlinear oscillators are common. In the majority of the reported studies, the harvester powers purely resistive loads. Given the complex behavior of nonlinear energy harvesters, it is difficult to identify the optimum load for this kind of device. In this paper the aim is to find the optimal load for a nonlinear energy harvester in the case of purely resistive loads. This work considers the analysis of a nonlinear energy harvester with hardening compliance and electromagnetic transduction under the assumption of negligible inductance. It also introduces a methodology based on numerical continuation which can be used to find the optimum load for a fixed sinusoidal excitation
Modelling and experimental characterization of an energy harvester with bi-stable compliance characteristics
No full textThis paper presents a novel design for a vibrational energy harvester. The design uses high permeability magnetic materials which brings about two key advantages. First, it gives strong coupling between the mechanical and electrical domains, thus enabling effective energy conversion. Second, it gives the device a bi-stable compliance characteristic, which gives the harvester a broad-band frequency response. An explicit analytical model is developed using a combination of experimental data and finite element modelling in order to accurately incorporate the magnetic forces. The model is then validated using dynamic tests of the experimental rig. The main features of the dynamic response of the bi-stable oscillator are highlighted and benefits discussed in the context of energy harvesting. Finally, comments are made on the relationship between the complicated behaviour resulting from the bi-stable compliance characteristic and the benefits of increased electrical coupling
The bandwidth of optimized nonlinear vibration-based energy harvesters
Full text linkIn an attempt to improve the performance of vibration-based energy harvesters, many authors suggest that nonlinearities can be exploited to increase the bandwidths of linear devices. Nevertheless, the complex dependence of the response upon the input excitation has made a realistic comparison of linear harvesters with nonlinear energy harvesters challenging. In a previous work it has been demonstrated that for a given frequency of excitation, it is possible to achieve the same maximum power for a nonlinear harvester as that for a linear harvester, provided that the resistance and the linear stiffness of both are optimized. This work focuses on the bandwidths of linear and nonlinear harvesters and shows which device is more suitable for harvesting energy from vibrations. The work considers different levels of excitation as well as different frequencies of excitation. In addition, the effect of the mechanical damping of the oscillator on the power bandwidth is shown for both the linear and nonlinear cases.</p
Bandwidth of a nonlinear harvester with optimized electrical load
No full textMany researchers have investigated the possibility of amplifying ambient vibrations and converting the associated kinetic energy into usable electric energy. The vast majority of vibration harvesting devices use mechanical oscillators to boost the amplitude of vibration; however, this can result in a rather narrow band of excitation over which the harvesting device is effective. One approach proposed to overcome this limitation is to substitute the conventional linear oscillator with an oscillator featuring a non-linear compliance characteristic: these mechanisms produce broader frequency responses. The design and optimization of nonlinear energy harvesting devices is however not trivial and there is no consensus among the publish works that the benefits of non-linear oscillators can be realized in the energy harvesting context. This work attempts to further develop understanding of nonlinear energy harvesters by investigating the optimum resistive load. The definition of an optimal load for the nonlinear device is first considered, given due consideration to bandwidth and stability of the operating point, and comparisons with linear devices is shown. Finally, the issue of multiple solutions in the frequency response is addressed.</p
Tuning a resonant energy harvester using a generalized electrical load
No full textA fundamental drawback of vibration-based energy harvesters is that they typically feature a resonant mass/spring mechanical system to amplify the small source vibrations; the limited bandwidth of the mechanical amplifier restricts the effectiveness of the energy harvester considerably. By extending the range of input frequencies over which a vibration energy harvester can generate useful power, e.g. through adaptive tuning, it is not only possible to open up a wider range of applications, such as those where the source frequency changes over time, but also possible to relax the requirements for precision manufacture or the need for mechanical adjustment in situ. In this paper, a vibration-based energy harvester connected to a generalized electrical load (containing both real and reactive impedance) is presented. It is demonstrated that the reactive component of the electrical load can be used to tune the harvester system to significantly increase the output power away from the resonant peak of the device. An analytical model of the system is developed, which includes non-ideal components arising from the physical implementation, and the results are confirmed by experiment. The − 3 dB (half-power) bandwidth of the prototype energy harvester is shown to be over three times greater when presented with an optimized load impedance compared to that for the same harvester presented with an optimized resistive only load
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Strategies for coupled vibration suppression and energy harvesting
No full textThe use of tuned-mass-dampers (TMD) as structural vibration suppressors has been discussed widely over several decades and many parameter selection strategies exist for minimising the displacement of the host structure. Normally these strategies work best when the resonant frequency of the TMD is closely tuned to that of the structural mode that is being targeted. This can be an issue for structures with significant live loads such as slender bridges with heavy traffic. For this type of structure nonlinear or semi-active retunable TMDs have been proposed. In this paper we consider replacing the damper in the TMD with an electrical generator device. In its simplest form this device could be a motor/generator with a resistive load such that the velocity- force relationship is approximately proportional hence mimicking a viscous damper. Here we consider using a voice-coil linear actuator connected to an impedance emulator, which is capable of harvesting, rather than dissipating, some of the vibrational energy. We discuss how this harvested power can then be used to modify the resistive loading in real-time and hence allow a wider bandwidth of operation. The work present both numerical and experimental results and shows some viable strategies for the control and the design of the device.</p
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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