Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting from Bridge Vibrations Using Different Models for Moving Vehicles

Abstract

This work investigates the performance of a cantilevered piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) for harvesting energy from bridge vibrations induced by moving vehicles. The bridge is simplified as a simply supported beam. Three models have been considered for modeling the vehicle moving on the bridge, namely a moving load, a moving mass, and a moving oscillator. The influence of surface unevenness on the energy harvested by the PEH has been taken into account. A comprehensive parametric study is conducted to show the effect of the PEH installation position, vehicle speed, and configuration of the PEH on the harvested energy. The results indicate that the difference in harvested energy calculated by various vehicle models is less than 10% if surface unevenness of the bridge is ignored. If surface unevenness is considered, more energy can be harvested. However, the maximum accumulated energy calculated using the moving oscillator model is less than 5% of that predicted by the moving mass model. The unevenness effect is not applicable in the moving load model.