Integrated vibration isolation and energy harvesting via a bistable piezo-composite plate

In passive vibration isolation, a bistable composite plate can be used to generate high-static low-dynamic stiffness, and in vibratory energy harvesting, when used with piezoelectric film flexing, the bistable composite plate can enhance the performance via snap-through motion. In the present work, we designed a bistable piezo-composite plate for both vibration isolation and energy harvesting. The analytical model for performance prediction is derived from the virtual work principle and the composite elasticity. Displacement transmissibility and output voltage generation were analytically determined for different mechanical and electrical parameters. The results illustrate that the bistable piezo-composite plate improves the feasibility and effectiveness of the integration design. Hardening and softening nonlinear phenomena coexist in both the displacement transmissibility and the output voltage plot. Approximate analytical solutions and numerical simulations are in good agreement. Both analytical and numerical results demonstrate that, at a certain frequency bands, enhanced energy harvesting is accompanied by a vibration transmissibility reduction. Compared with a linear system with the bistable piezo-composite plate removed, it achieved a reduction in the displacement transmissibility of about 13 dB at 100 Hz, simultaneously, and produced a considerable output voltage of about 0.05 V.