Effect of Electric Potential Distribution on Electromechanical Behavior of a Piezoelectrically Sandwiched Micro-Beam

The paper deals with the mechanical behavior of a micro-beam bonded with two piezoelectric layers. The micro-beam is suspended over a fixed substrate and undergoes the both piezoelectric and electrostatic actuation. The piezoelectric layers are poled through the thickness and equipped with surface electrodes. The equation governing the micro-beam deflection under electrostatic pressure is derived according to Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and considering the voltage applied to the piezoelectric layers and Maxwell’s equations for the two dimensional electric potential distribution. The obtained nonlinear equation solved by step by step linearization method and Galerkin weighted residual method. The effects of the electric potential distribution and the ratio of the piezoelectric layer thickness respect to the elastic layer thickness on the mechanical behavior of the micro-beam are investigated. The obtained results are compared with the results of a model in which electric potential distribution is not considered.