Energy harvesting from wind-induced vibration of suspension bridges

Abstract

Recently, an extensive amount of research has been focused on energy harvesting from structural vibration sources for wireless self-powered microsystem applications. One method of energy harvesting is using electromagnetic mechanism to transfer mechanical energy into electrical energy. This has been studied in depth at the micro-level scale. In this thesis, using the same methodology that was developed for the micro-level scale, this technique is expanded for larger scale applications. A linear resonant device of the size 40mm in diameter, weight of 2 kg is proposed to be installed on a suspension bridge deck to harvest energy and to control the motion of the bridge deck. The feasibility of the installation of the device is studied with respect to the amount of energy that could be harvested. The commercial software SAP2000 was used to carry out the analysis of the structural response of the suspension bridge to wind loading. Furthermore, the potential amount of energy that can be harvested is calculated. Keywords: Electromagnetic Energy Harvesting; Suspension bridge; Low frequency energy harvesting; Vibration control;