Generation of Electrical Energy Using Piezoelectric
Material from Train Wheels: Bangladesh Perspective
Md. Mostaqim Billah Arnab1*, Shah Md. Rahmot
Ullah2, Md. Ashraful Alam3, Raton Kumar Nondy4, A
S M Forhadul Alam5
1, 2, 3, 4
Department of EEE
Department of Physics
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
University of Dhaka (Mymensingh Engineering
College) Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
*E-mail:arnab.mostaqim@gmail.com
5
Abstract—Scientists are desperately searching for renewable
and green sources of energy to produce electrical power. In past
several years, researchers have begun using piezoelectric
material for structural vibrations suppression. These materials
transform mechanical energy to electrical energy and vice versa.
The objective of this paper is to present an effective method for
producing usable electrical energy from available sound energy
from train wheels. We have observed that huge amount of sound
energy is wasted in train movement (traction) System. In this
paper an approach has been made to make fruitful application of
the wasted sound energy. The proposed conversion circuit was
tested in sound sources of train wheels and a comparison was
made between other sources using this conversion circuit and a
better result from train wheels have observed. The output of
conversion circuit is around 12 volt which is sufficient to charge a
rechargeable DC battery where a fully discharged 9 volt dc
battery was found to be fully charged within half an hour from
transduced electric power. The proposed electric power supply
can be used to run low power electrical equipments like light, fan
etc. in train compartments.
Keywords—Piezoelectric material, transducer, super capacitor,
train wheels, DC battery.
I.
INTRODUCTION
At present in the universe the primary need for survival of
all organisms is energy. Everything what happens in the
surrounding is the expression of flow of energy in one of the
forms. In this fast moving world small country like
Bangladesh, where population is greater than its territory,
there the current power generation has become insufficient to
fulfill their demands. Therefore to overcome this problem we
need to implement the techniques of optimal utilization of
conventional sources for conservation of energy. At present, a
great deal of research effort has been directed to finding ecofriendly and renewable sources of energy.
Renewable energy sources such as hydropower, solar
power and wind power require high financial investments but
give lower power output with respect to its cost. Another
source nuclear power plant gives a good source of power but
the initial setting up and maintains costs are higher than other
renewable sources. In recent years, there has been growing
interest in harnessing the power of mechanical vibrations and
pressure to generate electricity. Piezoelectric materials play a
vital role in generating power which range is μW to mW. It is
978-1-4799-6062-0/14/$31.00©2014 IEEE
Anik Paul Mishu6
BSS Associate Engineer
Operation and Maintenance Department
Banglalink Digital Communication Limited
Narayanganj, Bangladesh.
one of the most interesting methods of obtaining the energy
surrounding a system is to use piezoelectric materials. This
technique
utilizes
piezoelectric
components
where
deformations produced by different means are directly
converted to electrical charge via piezoelectric effect.
Piezoelectric materials have a crystalline structure that
provides a unique ability to convert an applied mechanical
strain into an electrical potential or vice versa. Our paper
includes how to utilize the energy which is wasted, creates
pollution to the environment. The sound energy of the moving
train wheels which is nothing but pollution can be converted
into electrical energy with the help of piezoelectric material or
transducer. Then this electrical energy will be saved with the
help of a rechargeable DC source. This energy can be used to
run a train compartment’s lights and fans and other necessary
purpose. Here we discover the technology to generate electric
power from sound of train wheels in which the system used is
reliable and this technique will help conserve our natural
resources.
II.
PREVIOUS WORK
During the last decades, piezoelectric materials made huge
progress in entering commercial mass markets throughout all
branches, where piezoelectric are used as the basis materials
for actuators as well as sensors. Especially in transportation
industry, they found numerous fields of applications. The
development of piezoelectric actuators for fuel injection
systems is a popular application of the near past, active noise
and vibration reduction is a current activity, and the use of
piezoelectric materials for energy harvesting in vibrating
structures is one possible future trend [1].
The greatest untapped sources of piezo-electric energy are
freeways and busy roads. If piezo-electric mats were installed
under the busiest sections [a little ways under the surface], the
thousands of tons of vehicles passing over each day would
generate massive amounts of electricity for the city's use. The
basis of this system is that they have unique abilities to harvest
energy from weight, motion, vibration and temperature
changes. The energy generated from the moving vehicles is
stored in huge batteries and from the batteries the energy is
used for the city’s energy consumption. This can be used for
example to light the street lights at night from the entire
energy stored in the batteries. It can also be used for powering
the household gadgets and in short the city as a whole saving
lots of fuel used in electricity generation in an eco-friendly
way [2].
Health monitoring and damage detection concepts have
attracted many researches in the past [3] [4], especially with
involvement of piezoelectric materials as the sensing elements
[5]. Within the aforementioned project In Mar, a new
development is under research. This is a wear detection
system for train wheels. The idea is to detect the changes in
the vibration behavior of the entire wheel caused by the
surface changes on the rolling contact area, Theoretical work
on the vibration behavior of train wheels encourage to choose
this kind of method [6]. Piezoelectric sensors are placed on
distinct areas of the wheel, changing the displacements on the
surface into electrical signals. The biggest problem is to
adequately define the correlation between modal behavior of
the wheel and the measured signals as well as the sensitivity of
the overall concept to the comparably small changes in modal
parameters.
Researchers are also working on the idea of utilizing the
vibrations caused from the machines in the gym. At
workplaces, while sitting on the chair, energy can be stored in
the batteries by laying piezoelectric crystals in the chair. Also,
the studies are being carried out to utilize the vibrations in a
vehicle, like at clutches, gears, seats, shock-ups, foot rests [7].
In Bangladesh, researchers are also working on the idea of
electrification of Streets of Dhaka City Using Solar and
Piezoelectric Energy [8].
III.
interesting properties for the production of electricity,
however artificial piezoelectric materials such as PZT (Lead
Zirconate Titanate) present advantageous characteristics.
Piezoelectric materials belong to a larger class of materials
called ferroelectrics. One of the defining traits of a
ferroelectric material is that the molecular structure is oriented
such that the material exhibits a local charge separation,
known as an electric dipole. Throughout the artificial
piezoelectric material composition the electric dipoles are
orientated randomly, but when a very strong electric field is
applied, the electric dipoles reorient themselves relative to the
Electric field; this process is termed poling. Once the electric
field is extinguished, the dipoles maintain their orientation and
the material is then said to be poled. After the poling process
is completed, the material will exhibit the piezoelectric effect.
The mechanical and electrical behavior of a piezoelectric
material can be modeled by two linearized constitutive
equations. These equations contain two mechanical and two
electrical variables. The direct effect and the converse effect
may be modeled by the following matrix equations: Direct
Piezoelectric Effect: D = d.T + εT.E (1)
Converse Piezoelectric Effect: S = sE.T + dt.E (2) [9]
WHAT IS PIEZO-ELECTRIC MATERIAL?
The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from
pressure. Piezoelectricity is the charge that accumulates in
certain solid materials stress. Piezoelectricity is the ability of
some materials (notably crystals and certain ceramics) to
generate an electrical potential in response to applied
mechanical stress. This may take the form of a separation of
electric charge across the crystal lattice. If the material is not
short circuited, the applied charge induces a voltage across the
material. The word is derived from the Greek word piezien,
which means to squeeze or press. The conversion of
mechanical energy into electrical one is generally achieved by
converters alternator type or commonly known dynamo. But
there are other physical phenomena including piezoelectricity
that can also convert mechanical movements into electricity.
The phenomenon that produces an electric charge when a
force is applied to piezoelectric material is known as the
piezoelectric effect. The piezoelectric effect exists in two
domains, the first is the direct piezoelectric effect that
describes the material’s ability to transform mechanical strain
into electrical charge, the second form is the converse effect,
which is the ability to convert an applied electrical potential
into mechanical strain energy figure 1. The direct piezoelectric
effect is responsible for the materials ability to function as a
sensor and the converse piezoelectric effect is accountable for
its ability to function as an actuator. A material is deemed
piezoelectric when it has this ability to transform electrical
energy into mechanical strain energy, and likewise transform
mechanical strain energy into electrical charge. The
piezoelectric materials that exist naturally as quartz were not
978-1-4799-6062-0/14/$31.00©2014 IEEE
Fig. 1. Electromechanical conversion via piezoelectricity phenomenon.
Where D is the electric displacement vector, T is the stress
vector, εT is the dielectric permittivity matrix at constant
mechanical stress, sE is the matrix of compliance coefficients
at constant electric field strength, S is the strain vector, d is the
piezoelectric constant matrix, and E is the electric field vector.
The subscript t stands for transposition of a matrix. When the
material is deformed or stressed an electric voltage can be
recovered along any surface of the material (via electrodes).
Therefore, the piezoelectric properties must contain a sign
convention to facilitate this ability to recover electric potential.
The piezoelectric effect is the process of internal generation of
electrical charge resulting from an applied mechanical force.
The origin of the piezoelectric effect was, in general, clear
from the very beginning. The displacement of ions from their
equilibrium positions caused by a mechanical stress in crystals
that lack a centre of symmetry must result in the generation of
an electric moment, i.e., in electric polarization. Attempts to
calculate the piezo constants of a crystal based on this model
were first undertaken by the brothers Curie as shown in
following figure 2.
signal is alternating. So, we need to amplify and rectify it to
get a reasonable output DC voltage which may charge a
rechargeable energy source.
Fig. 2. Origin of piezoelectric effect and polarization.
IV.
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V.
ADVANTAGE OF GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY USING
PIEZO-ELECTRIC MATERIAL
It could help us to reduce the scarcity of electrical
energy globally and help in the development of
mankind and reduction of CO2 as electric energy is
one of the cleanest energy.
The noise pollution in the road would be able to
convert into electric energy and lights the street
lightning, signals and various other electrical
Appliances.
Power generation with low cost and using nonconventional energy sources which will help us to
conserve the conventional energy sources to meet the
future demand.
By using this method, electricity will be generated
throughout the year without depending on other
factors.
Easy for maintenance and no fuel transportation
problem. Pollution free power generation.
No need of manpower during power generation.
To store the electricity in DC rechargeable source.
It can be use at any time when it necessary.
Easy construction.
Less number of parts required. Produced electricity
can be used for many purposes.
SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE AND WORKING PROCEDURE
The goal here to design a circuit in which sound or air
pressure applied on piezoelectric transducer. In piezoelectric
material sound or air pressure applied on piezoelectric
transducer as mechanical strain and electrical charges will be
produced on the faces of the crystal. In a piezoelectric
material, total induced charge Q is directly proportional to the
applied force F, given by the relation,
Q = kF, where k is a piezoelectric constant.
Here direct voltage from piezoelectric transducer is very few
(200 mV – 2 V). Also, the nature of the produced electric
978-1-4799-6062-0/14/$31.00©2014 IEEE
In our proposed method, for conversion of sound energy
into electrical energy we used several piezoelectric
transducers. These transducers are taken from acoustic-electric
guitars because they are small. In our experiment, a small
buzzer of 6 volt, 2 KHz sinusoidal wave has used. The
resultant buzzer has worked as sound source and created about
200mV across those transducers which are in ac form. For
filtering, storing and prevent this ac voltage a 1 farad of 5.5
volt super capacitor has used. All super capacitors used in
parallel to the piezoelectric material. The super capacitor is
also known as Electrical Double Layer Capacitor (EDLC).
Super capacitors are differs from other general capacitors. It
can bridge the gap between capacitors and batteries with its
high capacitance value. Super capacitors required short time to
charged, that’s why available sound energy can be easily
stored as electrical energy. But it needs much longer time to
discharge. So, the stored electrical energy can be hold for
longer time than other capacitors.
Fig. 3. Simulation circuit diagram of conversion
electrical energy.
from sound energy to
In our proposed method, sound energy generated from
train wheels was used to produce small electric energy at the
terminal of the piezoelectric transducer. This small energy was
stored in super capacitor. 20 pieces super capacitor and
transducer parallel set up has constructed and we get 20 output
voltages. In our proposed method we has used LM324
operation amplifier to add those output voltage together, as
shown in figure 3. These 20 transducers-super capacitors
produced about 4Voutput voltage. The saturation voltage of
LM 324 Op amp is 5V. That is the biasing voltage Vcc=5V.
Which indicates that it won’t be benefited if we added more
transducers-super capacitors before the adder circuit, because
it will exceeds the highest saturation voltage of LM
324.Output of the added circuit than applied to a quadrupler
which will increase the added output voltage 4V to around
12V .For our experiment we have taken a 9V DC rechargeable
battery and it’s found that with this quadrupler output of 12V,
a 9V DC rechargeable battery can easily be charged within
half an hour. It was also observed that the quadrupler output
voltage varies with the frequency of AC signal used to operate
the buzzer. When there is no sound or low sound than the
output of Quadrupler will be below 9V and by flowing current
in reverse direction the battery will try to discharge. To
prevent this problem diodes have placed towards the
quadrupler to rechargeable battery. This diode works as
reverse biased and oppose the reverse flow of current from
battery. As a result the battery cannot get discharged in
absence of sufficient sound source. The complete system
architecture setup has shown in figure 4.
Fig. 4. Block Diagram showing the generating and storing electricity from
sound source (Running train wheels).
VI.
Output Voltages from Three Different Sources (Volt)
Construction Piling
Hydraulic Pump
Train
Wheels
11.39
11.14
11.48
10.81
12.00
11.56
978-1-4799-6062-0/14/$31.00©2014 IEEE
10.70
10.50
9.80
9.08
8.70
8.44
7.80
7.50
7.20
7.04
6.80
6.45
5.78
5.50
4.31
3.70
10.70
10.62
10.51
10.28
10.13
9.99
9.80
9.73
9.65
9.59
9.54
9.41
8.8
7.43
7.23
6.73
11.49
11.41
11.32
10.19
10.08
9.83
9.78
9.70
9.63
9.50
9.34
9.17
8.92
8.38
7.15
5.23
Output of the voltage quadrupler circuit was 12 volt with 60
mA from 118 dB sound. It’s found that with this output
voltage a fully discharge 9V DC battery can easily be fully
charged within only 30 minute. The proposed circuit could
generate 12 volt, so by increasing the number of our
experimented circuit we could easily increase up the output
voltage according to the desired voltage of a train
compartment. It has another advantage that the total cost of the
circuit is very low. We just need to spend money during on its
initial setup but there is no running cost is zero.
VII. CONCLUSION
SIMULATION RESULT
The conversion circuit shown in Figure 4 has tested in
outdoor environment to measure its performance. Tested
sound source was train wheels and it’s near air pressure. These
typical high sound sources usually play no role except
producing noise. As it experimented that the circuit could
generate electrical energy about 12V from a small sound
source, so it will be benefited if we place this circuit in a noisy
place where effective and continuous sound source is
available. For this reason we proposed to place this
experimented circuit permanently near of train wheels.
Because the effects from running train wheels will produce an
effective sound source. The noise or sound from a running
train wheels will create effects on the tested circuit. This
sound source or mechanical energy will convert to electrical
energy which will help to charge rechargeable energy source.
Then we could use this energy source for train compartment
fans, lights and other low power electrical equipments. In our
experiment we observed that battery can be charged from train
wheels sound. At a distance of 2 inch from train wheels we got
best output result and that’s 12 volts. Table (1) shows that the
recorded data of quadrupler output voltages for three different
sound sources and those are construction piling, hydraulic
Pump and train wheels which was measured at varies distance
ranging from 2 inch to 78 inch. The result says that the
proposed set up can be placed in any such places within the
prescribed distance from sound sources. But we get better
result from our circuit when it was placed near of train wheels.
Distance
from Sound
Sources
(Inches)
2
3
4
5
6
8
10
12
14
18
16
20
24
28
36
48
60
78
In this paper, an effective and efficient new sound source has
introduced which can be used as a suitable renewable energy source.
Here continuous sound source from running train wheels is proposed
as a new renewable sound source. The performance of the circuit for
different frequencies of sound was tested and it was observed that the
circuit works well for frequencies usually available from train
wheels.
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