Modeling and simulation of power generation with piezoelectric unimorph cantilever

Abstract

The energy-generating capability of a piezoelectric unimorph cantilever was studied in order to supply the power of low-consumption electric products. An analytical model of the piezoelectric unimorph cantilever was established by using the piezoelectric theory and heat balance principle. The effects of structural parameters as well as material properties of the piezoelectric cantilever on the energy generation were analyzed by numerical simulation and finite element analysis. The results obtained by the model were consistent with those from the finite element analysis. There are different optimal thickness ratios (ORT) of the thickness of piezoelectric layer to the thickness of metal layer for the piezoelectric unimorph cantilever to obtain the maximum electrical energy,and the ORT will increase with the increasing of the Young's Modulus Ratio. When aluminum,phosphor bronze,silicon and steel plates are used for the substrate,the ORT is 0.4,0.5,0.55 and 0.65,respectively. The tests of the piezoelectric unimorph cantilever with the phosphor bronze were performed. The results show that the power of the piezoelectric unimorph cantilever reaches the maximum value when the ORT is 0.5. The experimental result demonstrates the validity of the theoretical analysis.