Energy harvesting from asphalt pavement roadways vehicle-induced stresses: A feasibility study

•Piezoelectric power is sensitive to frequency, vertical load and number of disks.•Effect of temperature on output power was found to be negligible.•A statistical model developed to quantify output power under stress and frequency.•Piezoelectric can be used to harvest energy from roadway under certain conditions.

Roadways are major infrastructure for connecting people and providing access and mobility. The traffic-induced strains and stresses generated by the vehicles can be potentially used for energy harvesting purposes. Piezoelectric devices are ideal candidates for harvesting energy in asphalt pavement roadways as they convert mechanical strain energy into electric voltage. In this study, an experimental program was conducted to evaluate the potential of harvesting energy from roadways using piezoelectric materials. A prototype consisting of piezoelectric disks sandwiched between two copper plates was assembled in between asphalt mixtures. A uniaxial compression test was performed to measure the output power under different numbers and arrangements of piezoelectric disks. Moreover, the sensitivity of the power to loading frequency, vertical load, test temperature, and loading time was also studied. The experiment results show that the quantity and arrangement of the piezoelectric sensors alter the applied stresses leading to variations in the generated output power. The effect of temperature on the output power was found to be negligible. In addition, the magnitude and loading time significantly affect the output power. Considering the best combination of variables, the piezoelectric devices could be ideal candidates for harvesting energy in asphalt pavement roadways.