On-off skyhook semi-active control via a magneto-rheological (MR) damper for airfoil-based energy harvesting systems

Abstract

© Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd. An on-off skyhook semi-active control strategy via MR damper is proposed in this study to enhance the performance of a two degree-of-freedom (DOF) airfoil-based energy harvester. For simplicity, only the plunge mode of the airfoil model is examined. NACA0012 airfoil is selected as the vibrating body where energy is harvested and converted into electricity via piezoelectric transduction. Behavioural performance of an actual MR damper is represented numerically with MATLAB/SIMULINK blocks of a conventional Bouc-Wen model. Simulation of the airfoil model is also performed on MATLAB to acquire its dynamic responses. A comparison between passive and semi-actively controlled airfoil systems demonstrates that the proposed strategy is superior in three different aspects - versatility, energy harvesting and sustaining structural integrity.