Feasibility study of an energy harvesting system integrated with a rotational vibration absorber

During the last years the interest in energy harvesting has increased steadily due to the need to power wireless sensors for condition monitoring. Different techniques have already been studied for this purpose and the use of mechanical vibration absorbers as resonators offers the attractive possibility to integrate condition monitoring and vibration reduction into a single device. In this context, transversal vibrations have been the matter of other works. However, this study restricts its attention to rotational vibrations which introduces a significant difference compared to the previous. Indeed, rotation is a widely used form of power transmission and mechanical motion commonly used in various applications. Therefore, although the study of rotational vibration absorbers is of great importance, the harvesting of energy in these conditions is even more challenging. In this study a framework for a rotational vibration absorber is presented and an analytical model to ex plain its operation is derived. A feasibility study of an energy harvesting integrated with the rotational vibration absorber is conducted and applied to the specific rotational system of a drive-train. Because design parameters affect the conversion of mechanical to electrical energy, their influence on the power dissipated by the vibration absorber has received considerable attention in order to maximize the energy generated.