Dynamic Angular Velocity Load-Based Energy Harvesting Analysis for Different Blade Angles and Polarization Directions of Smart Blades

Energy consumption and control of electrical devices in flying electric vehicles with propellers such as drones are important for the continuity of the movement process. With this motivation, the piezoelectric energy harvesting performances of the smart drone propeller and smart wind blades are evaluated in order to obtain electrical energy from lead zirconate titanate (PZT) material placed on the propellers. Initially, the effect of smart wind blades with different blade angles on energy harvesting analysis is examined. The energy harvesting performances of the converse (z polarization) and shearing movements (y polarization) of the PZT material placed on the wind blades are compared under different angular rotational velocities. Then, the power outputs obtained depending on the sensor responses of the smart drone propeller with different resistance gains are evaluated according to the polarization directions. The maximum and minimum power output values obtained from the smart drone propeller at 12,000 rpm rotation velocity are measured as about 0.086 and 0.008 W, respectively. The results show that the energy harvesting performance of the z-polarized smart propeller is more effective than the y polarization, and the amount of energy obtained with the increase in the endpoint vibration amplitudes increases as the rotation speed increases.