A geometrically nonlinear shear deformable beam model for piezoelectric energy harvesters

Abstract

An electromechanical model for beam-like piezoelectric energy harvesters based on Reissner’s beam theory is developed in this paper. The proposed model captures first-order shear deformation and large displacement/rotation, which distinguishes this model from other models reported in the literature. All governing equations are presented in detail, making the associated framework extensible to investigate various piezoelectric energy harvesters. The weak formulation is then derived to obtain the approximate solution to the governing equations by the finite element method. This solution scheme is completely coupled, and thus allows for two-way interaction between mechanical and electrical fields. To validate this model, extensive numerical examples are implemented in the linear and nonlinear regime. In the linear limit, this model produces results in excellent agreement with reference data. In the nonlinear regime, the large amplitude response of the piezoelectric beam induced by strong base excitation or fluid flow is considered, and the comparison of results with literature data is encouraging. The ability of this nonlinear model to predict limit cycle oscillations in axial flow is demonstrated.

Effect of geometric non-linearity and tip mass on the frequency bandwidth of a cantilever piezoelectric energy harvester under tip excitation

“…To obtain the optimum dynamic deflection and voltage output, the following parameters were investigated, i. The piezoelectric patch thickness was varied in the range from 1 micron to 500 microns for different piezoelectric patch widths (5,10,15,18,20,25) mm, whereas the piezoelectric patch length was kept constant at 156 mm.…”

“…The thickness versus w max and max voltage (amplitude of voltage response) is obtained from step iii. For different piezoelectric widths (5,10,15,18,20,25) mm, the corresponding data are shown in figure 8.…”

“…Alireza et al [24] applied the adomian decomposition method for non-linear geometry design (smart tapered structures) and compared several geometries for the multi-resonance harvester. Shang et al [25] investigated harvester geometrical non-linearity considering Reissner's generalised strains for a large rotation or displacement. On the basis of geometrically exact beam theory, the PEH was analysed.…”

Recent advancements in piezoelectric energy harvesting for implantable medical devices

“…The mechanical behaviour of PEHs and PENGs is estimated using various numerical and analytical models. Some of the models are presented as plane strain and plane stress (Shang et al, 2021), Energy approach (Gong et al, 2023), Euler-Bernoulli model (Liu et al, 2023), Timoshenko model (Upendra et al, 2023b), Multi-mode model (Ansari and Karami, 2017) and Taguchi and ANOVA (Alsaadi and Sheeraz, 2020). In addition, the nanogenerator’s FEM models were used to predict its electromechanical behaviour.…”