Performance analysis of piezoelectric bimorph generator

Abstract

In this paper, the theoretical model and simulation of the performance of a piezoelectric (PZT) bimorph generator is introduced. The generator consists of two piezoelectric plates bonded on a substrate metal plate. For an effective electromechanical coupling coefficient (EECC) and the generated energy, the analytical formulae are established with the thickness ratio and the Young’s modulus ratio as variables. After giving correlative material parameters, the EECC and generated energy can be computed. The results show that there is a optimal thickness ratio for a piezoelectric bimorph generator to achieve the maximum EECC and electrical energy. The EECC and generated energy decrease with an increase of the Young’s modulus ratio. In addition, the influence of mechanical source on electrical energy generation and power output is also considered.

Keywords

piezoelectric / generator / energy harvesting / effective electromechanical coupling efficient