Simultaneous energy harvesting and tribological property improvement

In this study, piezoelectric elements were added to a reciprocating friction test bench to harvest friction-induced vibration energy. Parameters such as vibration acceleration, noise, and voltage signals of the system were measured and analyzed. The results show that the piezoelectric elements can not only collect vibration energy but also suppress friction-induced vibration noise (FIVN). Additionally, the wear of the friction interface was examined via optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and white-light interferometry (WLI). The results show that the surface wear state improved because of the reduction of FIVN. In order to analyze the experimental results in detail and explain them reasonably, the experimental phenomena were simulated numerically. Moreover, a simplified two-degree-of-freedom numerical model including the original system and the piezoelectric system was established to qualitatively describe the effects, dynamics, and tribological behaviors of the added piezoelectric elements to the original system.