An Analytical Solution for Piezoelectric Energy Harvester Beams With Linearly Varying Cross Section

In this work, effect of linear variation of cross-section of a piezoelectric beams along their length is studied on improvement in the ratio of output voltage to weight of the energy harvesters. For this purpose an analytical solution is developed for a linearly tapered beam. In order to develop the solution, two assumptions; i.e. Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and linear changes of voltage along the thickness of the piezoelectric layer are considered, simultaneously. From the results, it is observed that the increasing the tapering ratio causes reduction in the volume of the piezoelectric layer and consequently the output voltage. However, the voltage per unit length might be increased.