Modeling and Analysis of a Piezoelectric Bimorph Cantilevered Beam for Vibration Energy Harvesting

This paper presents an extensive investigation into the modeling and analysis of a piezoelectric bimorph cantilevered beam designed for vibration energy harvesting. By employing finite element analysis (FEA), the study explores various beam models, encompassing 1D Euler-Bernoulli, 2D, and 3D representations, to determine the eigenfrequencies and electromechanical responses of the energy harvester. The research includes a comparative analysis, which contrasts the results obtained from the proposed FE models with the experimental findings of Erturk and Inman, as well as analytical solutions. The results reveal that the 3D model exhibits minimal error. Additionally, using the 3D model, this work investigates the influence of tip mass shape on the electromechanical response of the system, suggesting that a parallelepiped shape maximizes voltage output while maintaining a lower resonant frequency.