In this paper, a flex-compressive piezoelectric energy harvesting cell (F-C PEHC) is proposed. This cell has a large load capacity and adjustable force transmission coefficient assembled from replaceable individual components. A statically indeterminate mechanical model for the cell is established and the theoretical force transmission coefficient is derived based on structural mechanics. An inverse correlation between the force transmission coefficient and the relative stiffness of Element 1’s limbs is found. An experimental study is also conducted to verify the theoretical results. Both weakened and enhanced modes are achieved for this experiment. The maximum power output approaches 4.5 mW at 120 kΩ resistive load under a 4 Hz harmonic excitation with 600 N amplitude for the weakened mode, whereas the maximum power output approaches 17.8 mW at 120 kΩ under corresponding load for the enhanced mode. The experimental measurements of output voltages are compared with the theoretical ones in both weakened and enhanced modes. The experimental measurements of open-circuit voltages are slightly smaller for harmonic excitations with amplitudes that vary from 400 N to 800 N and the errors are within 14%. During the experiment, the maximum load approaches 2.8 kN which is quite large but not the ultimate bearing capacity of the present device. The mechanical model and theoretical transmission coefficient can be used in other flex-compressive mode energy transducers.

The artificial ground freezing is an important technique for soft soil reinforcement and underground water sealing carried out by continuously refrigerating ground. It is of great significance to monitor the soil strength development in artificial ground freezing projects not only for better evaluation of the soil freeze–thaw status but also for predicting and controlling the concurrent adverse effects which may cause serious engineering accidents. In this study, the electromechanical impedance method was explored in monitoring the soil strength development in the freeze–thaw process. The lead zirconate titanate transducer was embedded inside the soil specimen, and changes in the conductance signatures were monitored throughout the soil freeze–thaw process. The experimental results indicate that the resonant frequency of the embedded lead zirconate titanate transducer can serve as a reliable index for assessment of the soil’s dynamic elastic modulus in the freeze–thaw process. More importantly, an analytical model was developed based on the piezo-elasticity theory to characterize the correlation between the electromechanical impedance of the lead zirconate titanate transducer and the soil’s mechanical properties, and its validity was further confirmed by the experimental research. Based on the proposed model, the development of the soil’s strength can be well predicted from the measured conductance signatures. As a nondestructive testing method, the proposed soil testing technique will help save considerable time and resources by avoiding the conventional sampling, specimen preparation, and testing of soil. The theoretical and experimental research will contribute to the future application of the electromechanical impedance method in real-life artificial ground freezing engineering projects.

In this paper, a novel energy transducer named double piezoelectric energy harvesting cell (DPEHC) consisting of two flex-compressive piezoelectric energy harvesting cells (F-C PEHCs) is proposed. At the very beginning, two F-C PEHCs, a kind of cymbal type energy transducer, are assembled together sharing the same end just in order to be placed steady. However, throughout an open-circuit voltage test, additional energy harvesting performance of the DPEHC prototype appears. Taking the interaction between the two F-C PEHCs into account, a mechanical model for analyzing the DPEHC is established. The electric output of the DPEHC under harmonic excitation is obtained theoretically and verified experimentally, and good agreement is found. In addition, as an inverse problem, the method for identifying the key mechanical parameters of the DPEHC is recommended. Finally, the additional energy harvesting performance of the DPEHC is quantitatively discussed. Numerical results show that the additional energy harvesting performance of the DPEHC is correlated with the key mechanical parameters of the DPEHC. For the present DPEHC prototype, the energy harvesting addition is over 400% compared with two independent F-C PEHCs under the same load condition.

In this paper, a fully coupled electromechanical model of wireless power transfer through an elastic barrier using piezoelectric transducers is established based on the theory of piezoelectricity. In this model, an elastic layer representing the elastic barrier is sandwiched by two piezoelectric layers attached by boundary mass and boundary constraint. The two piezoelectric layers act as input energy converter and output energy receiver, respectively. Using the electrical and mechanical boundary and continuous conditions, all the electrical and mechanical components of the system are derived. A simplification is performed and compared with a previous study and a preliminary experiment to valid the present study. Numerical studies are conducted to reveal the effects of circuit load resistance, barrier thickness, boundary mass and boundary constraint on the resonance frequency, output voltage, output power and transmission efficiency of the present model. With different circuit load resistance, the system resonance frequency is found between the short-circuit resonance frequency and open-circuit resonance frequency. With boundary mass applied to the piezoelectric transducers, the maximum resonance frequency response of both the output power and the transmission efficiency move toward the low-order resonance frequency. With boundary constraint applied to the boundary mass, a newly generated resonance frequency with high transmission efficiency at the low-frequency range is observed. A method to recognize the necessary input frequency range as well as the necessary circuit load resistance range respectively for large output power and large transmission efficiency is proposed.

Unified solutions for piezoelectric bilayer cantilevers and solution modifications piezoelectric;bimorph;unimorph;sensor;actuator;thermal effect; Based on the theory of piezoelasticity, the static performance of a piezoelectric bilayer cantilever fully covered with electrodes on the upper and lower surfaces is studied. Three models are considered, i.e., the sensor model, the driving displacement model and the blocking force model. By establishing suitable boundary conditions and proposing an appropriate Airy stress function, the exact solutions for piezoelectric bilayer cantilevers are obtained, and the effect of ambient thermal excitation is taken into account. Since the layer thicknesses and material parameters are distinguished in different layers, this paper gives unified solutions for composite piezoelectric bilayer cantilevers including piezoelectric bimorph and piezoelectric heterogeneous bimorph, etc. For some special cases, the simplifications of the present results are compared with other solutions given by other researches based on one-dimensional constitutive equations, and some amendments have been found. The present investigation shows: (1) for a PZT-4 piezoelectric bimorph, the amendments of tip deflections induced by an end shear force, an end moment or an external voltage are about 19.59%, 23.72% and 7.21%, respectively; (2) for a PZT-4-Al piezoelectric heterogeneous bimorph with constant layer thicknesses, the amendments of tip deflections induced by an end shear force, an end moment or an external voltage are 9.85%, 11.78% and 4.07%, respectively, and the amendments of the electrode charges induced by an end shear force or an end moment are both 1.04%; (3) for a PZT-4-Al piezoelectric heterogeneous bimorph with different layer thicknesses, the maximum amendment of tip deflection approaches 23.72%, and the maximum amendment of electrode charge approaches 31.09%. The present solutions can be used to optimize bilayer devices, and the Airy stress function can be used to study other piezoelectric cantilevers including multi-layered piezoelectric cantilevers under corresponding loads.