Design of a pavement using piezoelectric materials

Pavement material is an important factor for creating a pedestrian and environmentally friendly walkway. Generally, kinetic energy of footstep during walking is mostly wasted, while, this energy can be harvested and converted to electrical power. This study aims to use piezoelectric materials within pavements in the form of tiles. The kinetic energy of walking is harvested through piezoelectric mechanism. The study proposed a pavement consisting of piezoelectric sensors. Flexible and green material are selected as the top layer of the pavement. The scaled prototype is fabricated according to the mechanism of walking. The pavement is tested in terms of voltage generation in different arrangements. The results show that in order to harvest the optimum energy of walking, the piezoelectric sensors need to be covered with a conductive layer such as a steel sheet. Also, it is found that covering the piezoelectric materials with a hard surface leads to load distribution over the sensors when stepping on it which subsequently, generates more voltage. Moreover, when the piezoelectric pieces are placed in an alternative arrangement, more voltage is generated. It can be concluded that the arrangement of the piezoelectric sensors and their connection to the conductive layer are important factors in harvesting the optimum walking energy. The study recommends that pavement equipped with piezoelectric material is a promising method to generate electricity when implemented in crowded areas.