Monolithic modeling and finite element analysis of piezoelectric energy harvesters

This paper is devoted to monolithic modeling of piezoelectric energy harvesting devices. From a modeling perspective, piezoelectric energy harvesting is a strongly coupled phenomenon with two-way coupling between the electromechanical effect of the piezoelectric material and the harvesting circuit. Even in applications related to shunt damping, where the attached electrical circuit is passive, accurate modeling of the strong coupling is crucial for proper evaluation of the relevant parameters. The article proposes a monolithic mixed-hybrid finite element formulation for the predictive modeling and simulation of piezoelectric energy harvesting devices. The governing equations of the coupled electromechanical problem are converted into a single integral form with six independent unknown fields. Such a holistic approach provides consistent solution to the coupled field equations which involve structural dynamics, electromechanical effect of the piezoelectric patches and the dynamics of the attached harvesting circuit. This allows accurate computation of the eigenvalues and corresponding mode shapes of a harvester for any finite resistive load coupled to the harvester. The fully three-dimensional mixed-hybrid formulation is capable of analyzing structures with non-uniform geometry and varying material properties. The results of the finite element model are verified against the analytical results of a bimorph harvester with tip mass reported in the literature.