Self-powered structural health monitoring system using PZT-based piezoelectric cantilever beam

Abstract

Piezoelectric materials have been used in many industries because they are easily able to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. The acceleration/shock/pressure sensors that measure mechanical energy and speakers/resonators that cause vibration from electricity are examples. However, in the field of piezoelectric energy harvesting, development has a limitation due to low power of less than a few watts. In this study, a self-powered structural health monitoring system that can estimate the excitation frequency using PZTs is proposed. When the system is excited at an arbitrary frequency, electric energy is extracted from each PZT. As the amount of extracted energy, the excitation force and excitation frequency of the present system can be estimated. The estimated values are provided to the receiver using low power, wireless communication method(Zig-bee) to diagnose the structural integrity of the equipment. This system is a self-powered system that does not require a battery or a power system by performing sensor role and network communication utilizing power extracted from PZTs. In the case of offshore plants and ships, there are many places where the power system is difficult to enter. Therefore, the proposed structural health monitoring system utilizing such a system is expected to have great utility.