Acoustic metamaterial-based energy harvesting of mechanical waves: Modeling, optimization and experiments

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Chuanzeng Zhang
• Subject Area: Mechanics
• Term: from 2017 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 338806005

• Final Report Year: 2023

Final Report Abstract

Acoustic metamaterials (AMMs) are artificially engineered periodic or non-periodic materials and exhibit extraordinary wave propagation characteristics, which open up novel possibilities of harvesting the mechanical energy of the acoustic/elastic waves. In this project, AMM-based energy harvesting structures are investigated, which are capable of guiding incident acoustic/elastic waves into a desired and highly localized region where the mechanical wave energy is significantly amplified and then converted into the electrical energy (electricity). The schematic sketch and working principle of the proposed and investigated AMM-based mechanical energy harvesters is illustrated. Different kinds of the AMMs with the help of the topology optimization, including hyperbolic, double-negative, pentamode AMMs and topological insulators. Besides, an efficient and accurate numerical method for calculating equivalent effective material parameters of the unit-cells is developed. The energy harvesting structures for the acoustic/elastic waves are designed by utilizing various strategies, including the transformation acoustics/elastodynamics, cavities and gradient-index lenses. Piezoelectric structures are placed in the highly energy-concentrated region to convert the mechanical energy of the acoustic/elastic waves into the electrical energy. The numerical and experimental results show that the electrical output of the proposed energy harvesters can be significantly amplified compared to that of a free-wave energy harvester without utilizing the AMMs.

Publications

• Broadband single-phase hyperbolic elastic metamaterials for super-resolution imaging. Scientific Reports, 8(1).
  Dong, Hao-Wen; Zhao, Sheng-Dong; Wang, Yue-Sheng & Zhang, Chuanzeng
  
• Systematic design and realization of double-negative acoustic metamaterials by topology optimization. Acta Materialia, 172, 102-120.
  Dong, Hao-Wen; Zhao, Sheng-Dong; Wei, Peijun; Cheng, Li; Wang, Yue-Sheng & Zhang, Chuanzeng
  
• Active control of a black hole or concentrator for flexural waves in an elastic metamaterial plate. Mechanics of Materials, 142, 103300.
  Ning, Li; Wang, Yi-Ze & Wang, Yue-Sheng
  
• Flexural wave energy harvesting by multi-mode elastic metamaterial cavities. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 41, 101073.
  Ma, Tian-Xue; Fan, Quan-Shui; Li, Zheng-Yang; Zhang, Chuanzeng & Wang, Yue-Sheng
  
• Customized broadband pentamode metamaterials by topology optimization. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 152, 104407.
  Dong, Hao-Wen; Zhao, Sheng-Dong; Miao, Xuan-Bo; Shen, Chen; Zhang, Xiangdong; Zhao, Zhigao; Zhang, Chuanzeng; Wang, Yue-Sheng & Cheng, Li
  
• Customizing acoustic dirac cones and topological insulators in square lattices by topology optimization. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 493, 115687.
  Dong, Hao-Wen; Zhao, Sheng-Dong; Zhu, Rui; Wang, Yue-Sheng; Cheng, Li & Zhang, Chuanzeng
  
• Energy harvesting of Rayleigh surface waves by a phononic crystal Luneburg lens. International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 227, 107435.
  Ma, Tian-Xue; Li, Zheng-Yang; Zhang, Chuanzeng & Wang, Yue-Sheng
  
• Flexural wave energy harvesting by the topological interface state of a phononic crystal beam. Extreme Mechanics Letters, 50, 101578.
  Ma, Tian-Xue; Fan, Quan-Shui; Zhang, Chuanzeng & Wang, Yue-Sheng