Multistability investigation for improved performance in a compact nonlinear energy harvester

Nature provides abundant ambient mechanical energy in the form of vibration, sound, wave, wind, and biomechanical energy, which can be harvested to power electronic systems. Smart materials-based mechanical energy harvesting systems have attracted increasing attention over the past two decades due to their advantageous characteristics such as high power density, simple design, and scalability. Nevertheless, the design of compact and high-performing systems remains a challenge. This work deals with the analysis of a compact multistable dual-beam nonlinear energy harvester that can be configured for different stability layouts. By using a nonlinear dynamics analysis framework and suitable tools, a qualitative performance characterization of the harvester for each stability configuration is conducted. Results show that multistable characteristics associated with a softer inner beam characteristic and higher excitation levels are related to complex phenomena and can greatly enhance performance.