Influence of potential well depth on nonlinear tristable energy harvesting

Numerical and experimental investigation into the influence of potential well depth on tristable energy harvesting performance is provided. The potential well depth depending on the polynomial coefficients of nonlinear restoring force is analyzed along with its effect on the numerical energy harvesting performance. Experiment results reveal that the geometry parameters of the multi-stable configuration can alter the potential function of tristable energy harvesters. Moreover, the shallower potential well depth will enhance the broadband performance and the capability of harvesting energy from low frequency ambient vibration.