To realize the goal of harvesting energy from pavement vibration on a large scale, a new type of\npiezoelectric harvesting units as the energy transducer has been proposed. The piezoelectric harvesting\nunits are paved 40 mm below the asphalt, which is the same as thickness of the top layer of\ntypical asphalt pavement in China. The spacing distance is 2200 mm, which is the same as the one\nbetween two tires of a normal vehicle. A mathematical model of the unit is deduced on Meda empirical\nformula and Hamilton principle and piezoelectric equations. Effects of the external vehicle\nload on its harvesting energy properties and pavement deformation and stress are analyzed with\nthe finite element method. The results show that the excited voltage is linearly variation with\ncontact pressure while the harvested electrical energy exponential varies with contact pressure.\nThe more the contact pressure is, the larger the harvested electrical energy and the deformation\nand stress are. The harvested electrical energy also increases with the load frequency. At least 100\nmJ of electrical energy can be collected with the proposed piezoelectric harvesting unit. It shows\nthat the technology application of the piezoelectric harvesting energy from pavement is promising.
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