Electromechanical analysis of functionally graded panels with surface-integrated piezo-patches for optimal energy harvesting

Abstract

This paper presents an electromechanical modeling approach for predicting the dynamics of (straight/curved) functionally graded panels with multiple surface-integrated piezo-patches. Bi-axial material variation is considered using the theory of mixture approach. The governing equations are derived following the first order shear deformation theory and the Hamilton?s principle. The derived boundary value problem is solved numerically using a meshless approach based on Chebyshev polynomials. Mass and stiffness contributions of piezo-patch (es), as well as two-way electromechanical coupling behavior, are incorporated both for modal and harmonic analyses. To validate the accuracy of the presented solution technique, the results for various cases are compared to those obtained from finite-element analyses. It is shown that the maximum difference in the predicted natural frequencies is below 1%, but for a fraction of the computational time. Furthermore, the harmonic analysis results excellently match FE results. Note that material variation changes the spatial stiffness of the panel and thus, the functionally graded panel can be designed according to a predefined objective function using the proposed modeling approach. As a demonstration, specific to energy harvesting application, the voltage/power output was maximized through material and geometry/shape variations. It was demonstrated that significant improvements can be achieved through the presented methodology.