Electromechanical characterization of a bimorph piezo for Energy Harvesting applications in road infrastructures

2012

Piezoelectric materials can be used as a means of transforming ambient vibrations into electrical energy that can be stored and used to power other devices. With the recent surge of micro scale devices, piezoelectric power generation can provide a convenient alternative to traditional power sources used to operate certain types of sensors/actuators, telemetry, and MEMS devices. However, the energy produced by these materials is, in many cases, far too small to directly power an electrical device. In the present study, piezoelectric devices will be investigated and experimentally tested to determine each of their abilities to transform ambient vibration into electrical energy. Tested piezoel…