Investigation of localization effects in quasi-periodic structures in association with piezoelectric energy harvesting

Abstract

The large majority of investigations dedicated to periodic structures are based on the assumption of perfect periodicity, i.e., that all the unit cells that compose the structures present exactly the same physical and geometrical characteristics. However, owing to variabilities introduced during material processing and manufacturing, in practical cases periodicity is not perfect. In these cases, one has the so-called quasi-periodic structures. It has been demonstrated that the breakage of periodicity can generate the so called localization phenomenon, which is characterized by the confinement of the motion in a rather small region of the structure. In this context, the objectives of this doctorate project are: development, implementation and validation of a methodology for the modeling of quasi-periodic structures under various types of deterministic and random disturbances (in geometry, material properties and boundary conditions); investigation of the conditions under which localization phenomena occur in quasi-periodic structures; investigation of the possibility of exploring the localization phenomenon to enhance the effectiveness of energy harvesting from vibration motion using piezoelectric transducers; design and manufacturing of an experimental demonstrator of localization phenomena and energy harvesting. (AU)