Random analysis on controlled buckling structure for energy harvesting

The controlled buckling piezoelectric structures can be used for stretchable energy harvesting due to the stretchability and piezoelectricity. In this paper, the ambient environmental excitation is modeled as a bound-limited white noise, and the random analysis is conducted to study the system response of controlled buckling structures. The spatial distribution of the harvestable energy is revealed, and the optimal locations of electrodes for maximal energy output are indicated. The optimal locations of electrodes are robust to the upper bound of environment excitation and the applied strain. This work provides a theoretical basis for stretchable energy harvesting using controlled buckling structures. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4789998]