Magnetostrictive Vibration Energy Harvester (MAVEN) Navy STTR FY2010.A Sol No.: Navy STTR FY2010.A Topic No.: N10A-T020 Topic Title: Magnetostrictive Vibration Energy Harvester (MAVEN) Proposal No.: N10A-020-0137 Firm: Impact Technologies, LLC 200 Canal View Blvd Rochester, New York 14623-2851 Contact: Carl Palmer Phone: (585) 424-1990 Web Site: www.impact-tek.com Abstract: Impact Technologies, in cooperation with Dr. Mohammed Daqaq from Clemson University, propose to develop a magnetostrictive materials based device for harvesting energy from mechanical vibration. The energy harvesting device will harness power from ship-hull vibrations in order to power sensing devices. This technology will be a key enabler for improved structural and machinery health management. Key innovations of the approach include creation of a device using magnetic levitation to soften natural frequencies inside the harvester to allow the harvester to be tuned to very low excitation frequencies. The key tasks of Phase I include: characterizing the vibration spectrum of the application (initially an Arleigh Burke class destroyer); deriving analytical models for quantifying the device's output power for various vibration spectral profiles; designing, modeling, and creating energy harvesting prototypes; and demonstrating the harvesting system in a laboratory environment. Benefits: There is significant commercialization potential for magnetostrictive-based energy harvesting technology for both military and commercial arenas, as it can significantly decrease the maintenance (replacing batteries) and installation costs (wiring) for remote sensing systems. The developed technology is expected to be a key enabler for implementing the sensing systems needed for integrated systems health management (ISHM) for many types of structures. Widespread use of ISHM provides maintenance personnel with insight as to when and where maintenance is required, allowing cost effective allocation of personnel and resources. Broader benefits include providing a more eco-friendly alternative to battery production and battery disposal. The energy harvester's novel design allows the harvester to be easily optimized to capture energy from a wide range of vibration frequencies and intensities. This results in a single design for a scalable device that can be applied across many different application domains - thus decreasing overall costs for producing, obtaining and installing the harvester. Commercial applications likely to benefit from this technology include any place vibration is present and SHM sensors can be used - bridges, tunnels, shipping containers, large vehicles, factory equipment, etc. Return