On the electromechanics of a piezoelectric transducer using a bimorph cantilever undergoing asymmetric sensing and actuation

This paper presents an analytical, numerical and experimental study of an asymmetric piezoelectric actuator/sensor cantilever beam. The structure consists in a three-layered laminate with a piezoceramic acting as actuator, an elastic material layer and a second piezoceramic layer that can operate as a sensor or actuator. The coupled expansion-bending motion of the system is analytically resolved, where the governing electromechanical expansion and bending motion equations are obtained. Explicitly analytic solutions for longitudinal and transverse displacements, and also the mechanical/electrical frequency response of the structure are calculated. A finite element model (FEM) is developed and used to evaluate the accuracy of the analytic model. Experimental results are used to verify the frequency response of the structure, and validate the theoretical and FEM models.