Development in Stacked-Array-Type Piezoelectric Energy Harvester in Asphalt Pavement

Piezoelectric energy harvesting in pavement is an advanced energy saving technology. It is carried out by laying the piezoelectric material in the pavement structure and converting the mechanical energy into electrical energy. The current energy harvester has difficulty meeting the complex requirements of pavements. In order to develop the pavement piezoelectric energy harvesting technology, in this paper, a stacked mode for a piezoelectric energy harvester is designed. The computer-controlled pressure testing machine (WHY-2000, Shanghai Hualong Test Instruments Corporation, Shanghai, China) was used to test the compressive property and the one–third-scaled accelerated instrument Model Mobile Load Simulator (MMLS-1/3) was used to test the fatigue properties of the piezoelectric transducer. Results showed that the designed piezoelectric transducer could bear loadings up to 150 kN, which can meet road traffic loading requirements. The piezoelectric properties of the transducer remain good after 100,000 cyclic loadings. The indoor laboratory test and the on-site test show that the piezoelectric transducer can work in real pavement in actual traffic conditions. The open circuit voltage can reach 280 V, which can provide enough electricity for sensing systems in the pavements. In all, the proposed new piezoelectric transducer provides a promising future for green energy use in the pavement industry.