Matthew Amy

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Laboratory for Composite Materials

Mechanical Engineering

November 12, 2011

Dr. Ahmed Khattab

Advisor and Director

Dr. Mohammad J. Khattak

Co-Advisor

Laboratory for Composite Materials

College of Engineering

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

OUTLINE

Big picture concept

Current Solutions

General overview of piezoelectric material (PZT)

Proposed approaches

Direct integration of PZT

Modifying PZT geometry

Other issues

Conclusion

Slide #1

THE BIG PICTURE

Concept:

Develop a roadway integrated system to generate, store and

distribute usable electricity using the lost kinetic energy of

commercial and private vehicles to the road

Goals:

Make it safe to the public, efficient and economical

Facilitate an energy conscious community that can benefit

from their direct contribution to energy production

Produce as much power as streetlights and traffic signals

consume

Slide #2

In Lafayette, LA… 15, 837 street lights consuming 1.2 million kWh of electricity per

month (LUS, 2010)

304 traffic signals consuming 89,000 kWh of electricity per month

(LUS, 2010)

THE BIG PICTURESlide #3

Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; http://www.mpoweruk.com/electricity_demand.htm

*At $0.08/kWh…

~$103,120.00 per monthOR

~$1,237,440.00 per year

CURRENT SOLUTIONS Slide #4

Highway Energy Systems LTD, United Kingdom

Produces AC or DC current

Max. Generation: 5-10 kW (per day?)

Source: http://www.hughesresearch.co.uk/

Dragon Power, United States Fluid pumped which in drives a generator

Max. Generation: 5,000-7,000 kW per day

CURRENT SOLUTIONS Slide #5

Source: AEST Inc; http://www.aesti.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=27

Innowattech, Israel

“Parasitic Energy Harvesting”

Uses piezoelectric stacks

Max.Generation: 500 trucks/buses per hour per lane = 200 kWh per hour

CURRENT SOLUTIONS Slide #6

Source: http://www.innowattech.co.il/technology.aspx

THE BIG PICTURE

Consensus on the most feasible system?

What don’t Civil Engineers like in their roads?

What is most cost effective?

Which of the current solutions have had the most success to

date?

Slide #7

WHAT IS PIEZOELECTRIC

MATERIAL?

A material with the unique ability to develop an electrical

charge under mechanical stress. This ability is known as

the “Inverse Piezoelectric effect”

Naturally occuring materials:

Quartz

Rochelle salt

Man-made Materials:

PZT / P(LN)ZT (lead zirconate titanate)

PMN (lead magnesium niobate)

BaTiO3 (barium titanate)

Slide #8

Source: http://www.bjccwy.com/23.html

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartz

WHAT IS A PIEZOELECTRIC

MATERIAL?

Slide #9

Curie temperature

Above this temperature, no dipoles present

Below this temperature, dipoles present

Material Processing

Compatibility in composite structures

PolingSource: http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=81

Source: http://www.pc-control.co.uk/piezoelectric_effect.htm

PROPOSED APPROACHES TO INTEGRATING

THE MATERIAL WITH ROAD SYSTEMS

Integrate PZT directly with asphalt PZT/asphalt matrix configuration

PZT/CNF/asphalt matrix configuration

Modify PZT geometry Obtain optimum geometry to instigate pre-stress conditions

Build “blanket” of PZT elements

Slide #10

INTEGRATING PZT DIRECTLY WITH

ASPHALT

Current knowledge:

PZT compatible with concrete/asphalt mixtures

Power output unknown!

Obstacles for energy conversion efficiency:

Interfacial polarization

Finding optimum PZT particle size

PZT reduces fracture toughness

Slide #11

Source: Huang et al. “Preparation and polarization of 0-3 cement based piezoelectric composites”.

Materials Research Bulletin 41 (2006) 291-297.

INTEGRATING PZT/CNF DIRECTLY

WITH CONCRETE/ASPHALT

Current Knowledge:

Improved electrical conductivity

Improved poling efficiency

Improved structural integrity

Power output unknown

Obstacles for energy conversion

efficiency:

Not enough is known about the

interfaces between the CNF

/PZT/cement composite

Slide #12

Source: Hongyu et al. “Preparation and properties of cement based piezoelectric

composites modified by CNTs”. Current Applied Physics 11 (2011) 653-656.

MODIFYING PZT GEOMETRY

Current knowledge:

Cymbal transducer

Trapezoidal cantilever

30% more energy production than rectangular

PZT stacks have high range of power outputs

7-28 kW

Obstacles for energy conversion efficiency:

Lateral clamping

Slide #13

Source: Anton et al. “A review of power harvesting using

piezoelectric materials (2003-2006)’. Smart Materials and

Structures 16 (2007) R1-R21.

Source: http://www.onlineconversion.com/object_volume_trapezoid.htm

Source: http://www.physikinstrumente.com/tutorial/4_39.html

OTHER ISSUES

“Much of the research up to this point has focused on the characterization of the

power harvesting medium rather then the development of complete powered

devices…further development of such systems will facilitate the progression of

power harvesting methods from a pure research topic to a useable technology…”

-Henry A Soldano, 2006

Aside from advancing harvesting solutions…

Storage

Distribution

Socio-political impact

Slide #14

CONCLUSION

Big picture concept

General overview of piezoelectric material

Proposed approaches

Direct integration of PZT

Modifying PZT geometry

Other issues

Slide #15

Questions?