Energy harvesting performance of a full-pressure piezoelectric transducer applied in pavement structures

Abstract

Using piezoelectric materials to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy provides ideas for energy self-consistency of road infrastructure. Since some 3–3 form piezoelectric transducers underutilize vehicle loads, which weaken the energy conversion potential, the full-pressure concept was proposed and novel piezoelectric transducers were designed. Furthermore, studies on the piezoelectric response and long-term performance of piezoelectric transducers after being applied to pavements are insufficient. Therefore, referencing pavement-related specifications small piezoelectric pavements were first prepared. Then the direct and potential factors that affect energy harvesting were elaborated. The instantaneous and long-term piezoelectric properties were finally evaluated through acceleration loading tests. Results show that the piezoelectric output has a significant linear relationship with the load, indicating that the new piezoelectric transducer has a good electrical response after being applied to the pavement structure. An increase in the loading speed leads to an increase in the output voltage and output power but not necessarily an increase in energy output. The high-temperature environment contributed to the energy output. Pavements with larger particle sizes can boost the output voltage. After 500,000 cycles of loading, the long-term performances of piezoelectric pavements were verified. This study could provide references for the design of piezoelectric transducers and their applications.