Track: Energy

Abstract

The cantilever beam serves as a prominent choice for harnessing strain-based energy through piezoelectric materials. Ongoing research is focused on enhancing the output power density from cantilever energy harvesters. Most of the prior investigations have predominantly employed fully coated cantilever beams. However, due to the high cost associated with piezoelectric materials, it becomes necessary to explore the impact of altering the base beam’s length while keeping the piezoelectric material's length constant. This investigation aims to ascertain the potential for increasing the output power density using the same length of piezoelectric material. In this study, a comprehensive analysis was conducted, maintaining uniform thickness and width for both the base beam and piezoelectric material. The positioning of the piezoelectric material on the base beam was selected to maximize power output for a specific configuration. Recognizing that the power output of a cantilever energy harvester is dependent upon the resonant frequency and optimal electrical load, this study also presents an analysis of these factors. It is found that an increase in the length of the base beam causes a corresponding rise in output power. Particularly, tripling the length of the base beam yields a sevenfold increase in output power density.