Development of an energy harvesting damper using PVDF film

Summary We report an energy harvesting damper composed of a composite of piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride film and silicone rubber for applications in offshore structures. We describe the generation efficiency of sandwiched and coiled sheet geometries. Piezoelectricity was generated by cyclic compressive loading with frequency of 2 Hz and a displacement of 3 mm using a fatigue-testing machine, and the voltage and power were measured. We used digital image correlation and finite element method modeling to investigate the deformation of the silicone matrix. The coiled sheet specimen exhibited higher power with larger and more uniform deformation; however the sandwiched geometry exhibited better durability. The lower power of the sandwiched geometry was attributed to localized deformation because of friction at the interface between specimen and fixture, and the performance of this design was improved via the use of a lubricant. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.