Power Generation from Hydraulic Shock Absorber Using Piezoelectric Material

A lot of emphasis has been laid on harvesting energy from unconventional sources these days due to environmental concerns. Harvesting energy from vibrations is one of the most promising technologies in the present day scenario like the vibrations of tall buildings, long bridges, vehicle systems, railroads, ocean waves, and even human motions. For successful harnessing of this wasted energy, a piezoelectric transducer has been used. The analysis of suspension to find stiffness and deformation is done. Also, the force acting on the suspension over bumps is found which is used to calculate the voltage. The power obtained is further calculated and possible applications of this energy generated are also being mentioned. The objective is to harvest energy from the suspension system using PZT. Model of the shock absorber and a Simulink model of quarter car suspension. Evaluation of the changes in stiffness and deflection of the suspension would be done. A way of efficient conversion of the vibration to electric power by finding the best position to place the piezoelectric material. Finally, the force during a bump is found and hence the voltage induced in PZT. Thus, the power generated and designing a circuit to store the generated power in a battery is obtained.