Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting from Nonlinear Vibrations of Functionally Graded Beams: Finite-Element Approach

Abstract

In this research, the piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) from nonlinear vibrations of a functionally graded beam is presented. The material properties of the harvester (both the substructure and piezoelectric layers) vary as graded in thickness direction to a power law function. The coupled system of equations is obtained under consideration of von Karman nonlinearity and the Euler Bernoulli beam theory. Finally, a coupled electro-mechanical finite-element model is presented for predicting the beam deflection, the generated voltage, and the produced electrical power of piezoelectric energy harvester. The effects of base excitation amplitude, material distribution and load resistance value on the harvested power near two first resonance frequencies are investigated. Our results show that the aforementioned parameters have considerable effects on the produced power and voltage of the harvester.