Linear and Nonlinear Vibrations for Sensing and Energy Harvesting

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "D:Materials and Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 824

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Applied Mechanics, FEMTO-ST Institute, Université of Franche-Comté, 25000 Besançon, France
Interests: nonlinear dynamics; vibration; MEMS and NEMS; energy harvesting; smart structures
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The exploitation of vibrations and nonlinearities for sensing and energy harvesting have attracted considerable interest in recent years because of their critical applications in the fields of smart structures and systems. Particularly, the nonlinear dynamics of such devices have been widely investigated in open and closed loops while including innovative and appropriate control methods, thus enabling the enhancement of the targeted performances. This Special Issue will focus on design strategies, modeling approaches, and experimental characterization related to linear and nonlinear vibrating sensors, actuators, and energy harvesters in order to address the scientific, technological, and sustainability challenges set by recent industrial demands. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Vibration energy harvesting.
  • Dynamics and vibrations of MEMS and NEMS.
  • Collective behaviors, such as localization and synchronization.
  • Characterization of the vibration and dynamic response of smart structures and systems.
  • Reduced-order modeling of smart structures and systems.
  • Nonlinear phenomena and interactions in smart materials and structures.
  • Nonlinear vibrations of continuous and discontinuous systems.
  • Wave propagation and absorption in smart structures and systems.
  • Bifurcations, attractors and chaos.
  • Dynamics and control of coupled thermal, electrostatic, magnetic, and elastic MEMS/NEMS.
  • Innovative concepts of sensing and actuating based on nonlinear vibrations.

Dr. Najib Kacem
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • vibration energy harvesting
  • sensors and actuators
  • vibrations
  • MEMS and NEMS
  • smart structures
  • nonlinear dynamics
  • wave propagation
  • collective dynamics
  • dynamic stability
  • nonlinear phenomena
  • reduced order modeling

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4985 KiB  
Article
Kinetic Energy Harvesting with a Piezoelectric Patch Using a Bistable Laminate
by Sonia Bradai, Slim Naifar, Piotr Wolszczak, Jarosław Bieniaś, Patryk Jakubczak, Andrzej Rysak, Grzegorz Litak and Olfa Kanoun
Micromachines 2025, 16(4), 410; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16040410 - 30 Mar 2025
Viewed by 218
Abstract
A bistable effect on a laminate structure with a piezoelectric patch was tested to harvest kinetic energy. The composite bistable plate was prepared in the autoclave with two different orientations of the glass fibers. The dynamic tests were performed on the universal testing [...] Read more.
A bistable effect on a laminate structure with a piezoelectric patch was tested to harvest kinetic energy. The composite bistable plate was prepared in the autoclave with two different orientations of the glass fibers. The dynamic tests were performed on the universal testing machine using cyclic vertical compression excitation. During the tests, the bottom edge of the plate was clamped firmly while its upper edge was attached with some clearance to enable sliding. In such a configuration, the friction force between the plate and upper clamp element is responsible for the plate excitation. Simultaneously, the plate has enough space to change the shape between the two equilibria. During the harmonic excitation of the testing machine operating mode, a piezoelectric element was placed on the bistable plate and its voltage and normalized power outputs were evaluated. The experiments were repeated with additional mass distribution, which influenced the natural frequency of the plate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Linear and Nonlinear Vibrations for Sensing and Energy Harvesting)
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20 pages, 24844 KiB  
Article
A Programmable Hybrid Energy Harvester: Leveraging Buckling and Magnetic Multistability
by Azam Arefi, Abhilash Sreekumar and Dimitrios Chronopoulos
Micromachines 2025, 16(4), 359; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16040359 - 21 Mar 2025
Viewed by 276
Abstract
Growing demands for self-powered, low-maintenance devices—especially in sensor networks, wearables, and the Internet of Things—have intensified interest in capturing ultra-low-frequency ambient vibrations. This paper introduces a hybrid energy harvester that combines elastic buckling with magnetically induced forces, enabling programmable transitions among monostable, bistable, [...] Read more.
Growing demands for self-powered, low-maintenance devices—especially in sensor networks, wearables, and the Internet of Things—have intensified interest in capturing ultra-low-frequency ambient vibrations. This paper introduces a hybrid energy harvester that combines elastic buckling with magnetically induced forces, enabling programmable transitions among monostable, bistable, and multistable regimes. By tuning three key parameters—buckling amplitude, magnet spacing, and polarity offset—the system’s potential energy landscape can be selectively shaped, allowing the depth and number of potential wells to be tailored for enhanced vibrational response and broadened operating bandwidths. An energy-based modeling framework implemented via an in-house MATLAB® R2024B code is presented to characterize how these parameters govern well depths, barrier heights, and snap-through transitions, while an inverse design approach demonstrates the practical feasibility of matching industrially relevant target force–displacement profiles within a constrained design space. Although the present work focuses on systematically mapping the static potential landscape, these insights form a crucial foundation for subsequent dynamic analyses and prototype validation, paving the way for advanced investigations into basins of attraction, chaotic transitions, and time-domain power output. The proposed architecture demonstrates modularity and tunability, holding promise for low-frequency energy harvesting, adaptive vibration isolation, and other nonlinear applications requiring reconfigurable mechanical stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Linear and Nonlinear Vibrations for Sensing and Energy Harvesting)
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