EXPLOITING PIEZOELECTRIC ENERGY FROM VIBRATION OF BRIDGE BEAM SUBJECTED TO MOVING LOAD

Abstract

In the practice, the kinetic energy of moving transport vehicles transferred to the road surface is a significant amount that has not been recovered for energy needs. This paper is devoted to develop theoretical fundamentals for exploiting energy from the ambient traffic vehicles moving on a bridge beam by using piezoelectric material. Using the classical theory of beam and assumption that connection between beam and piezoelectric layer is ideal (not deleminated and no shear), governing equations for vibration of beam bonded with piezoelectric layer under harmonic load moving on the beam with constant speed are established in the frequency domain. Therefore, the formulas for calculating the voltage produced in the piezoelectric layer due to the beam vibration have been derived and used for numerically investigating the effect of load velocity and piezoelectric layer thickness on the output voltage of the piezoelectric layer.