Topology Optimization of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Skin Using Hybrid Cellular Automata

Abstract

An earlier study introduced the concept of piezoelectric energyharvesting skin (EHS) to harvest energy by attaching thin piezoelectric patches onto a vibrating skin. This paper presents a methodology for the optimum design of EHS with the use of an efficient topology optimization method referred to as the hybrid cellular automaton (HCA) algorithm. The design domain of the piezoelectric material is discretized into cellular automata (CA), and the response of each CA is measured using highfidelity finiteelement analysis of a vibrating structure. The CA properties are parameterized using nonlinear interpolation functions that follow the principles of the SIMP model. The HCA algorithm finds the optimal densities and polarizing directions at each CA that maximize the output power from the EHS. The performance of this approach is demonstrated for the optimal design of EHS in two realworld case studies.