A Novel Design and Performance Analysis of Piezoelectric Energy Harvester with Application to a Vehicle Suspension System Moving on Uniform Bridges

The development of energy recovery systems in vehicles is a form of synergy between
energy efficiency and renewable energy to overcome the energy crisis and global warming
problems. This paper addresses such challenges by introducing a novel design of a piezoelectric
energy harvester (PEH) for a vehicle suspension system. The PEH is designed to capture the linear
vibration of the suspension system subjected to road surface roughness and move on uniform
bridges. The vibration is amplified by a pressurized liquid cylinder-piston mechanism which
deforms the piezoelectric bar to produce electric power. An additional novel mechanism in the form
of a piezoelectric protector is also proposed to avoid physical damage due to excessive
unidirectional compressive force as a result of an unpredictable uneven road. Given the key design
parameters, the electric power can be harvested up to 67.5 W for a PEH with a span of 150 m of the
bridge, a velocity of 40 m/s, and a vehicle mass of 2,691.6 kg.