Performance improvement of a piezoelectric bimorph actuator by tailoring geometry

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article illustrates performance improvement of a piezo-bimorph actuator by tailoring its geometry. We have analytically presented that a piezo-bimorph actuator with a tapered surface provides superior performance for out-of-plane bending compared to a rectangular surface while having equal mass and equal primary capacitance. Equal capacitance ensures equal input electrical energy and bandwidth for both the cases below its first resonant frequency. We have analytically derived performance measuring attributes of such an actuator considering high electric field, and shown the performance improvement quantitatively. We have also presented finite element solutions to compare with the analytical solutions. Some results are validated with the earlier published experimental results.