Innovative energy harvesting technology for wireless bridge monitoring systems

Energy harvesting is a promising and evolving field of research capable of supplying power to systems in a broad range of applications. In particular, the ability to gather energy directly from the environment without human intervention makes energy harvesting an excellent option for powering autonomous sensors in remote or hazardous locations.

This dissertation examines the possibility of using energy harvesting in new and innovative ways to power wireless sensor nodes placed in the substructures of highway bridges for structural health monitoring. Estimates for power requirements are established, using a wireless sensor node from National Instruments as an example system. Available power in a bridge environment is calculated for different energy sources, including solar radiation, wind, and vibration from traffic. Feasibility of using energy harvesting in such an application is addressed for both power availability and cost as compared with grid power or primary batteries. An in-depth functional analysis of existing energy-harvesting systems is also presented, with insights into where innovation would be most beneficial in future systems.

Finally, the development of a suite of complementary energy-harvesting devices is described. Because conditions on bridges may vary, multiple solutions involving different energy domains are desired, with the end user able to select the harvester most appropriate for the specific installation. Concept generation techniques such as mind-mapping and 6-3-5 (C-Sketch) are used to produce a wide variety of concepts, from which several promising concept variants are selected. The continued development for one concept, which harvests vibration using piezoelectric materials, is described. Analytical modeling is presented for static and dynamic loading, as well as predicted power generation. Two proof-of-concept prototypes are built and tested in laboratory conditions. Through the development of this prototype, it is shown that the example wireless sensor node can successfully be powered through energy harvesting, and insights are shared concerning the situations where this and other energy harvesters would be most appropriate.