Design approach for post-buckled beams in bistable piezoelectric energy harvesters

This paper presents a model suited for the design of mechanically bistable beams used in Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters (PEHs). The proposed model accounts for the bending and compression of post-buckled beams used in the PEH. The effect of the beam’s geometry on the generated power and frequency bandwidth is evaluated with a performance criterion. It is concluded that a low beam compression stiffness can have a negative impact on the performance of the PEH and that the bending stiffness solely implies a prestress on the piezoelectric transducer.