Abstract
PURPOSES : The piezoelectric energy road analysis technology using a three-dimensional finite element method was developed to investigate pavement behaviors when piezoelectric energy harvesters and a new polyurethane surface layer were installed in field conditions. The main purpose of this study is to predict the long-term performance of the piezoelectric energy road through the proposed analytical steps. METHODS : To predict the stresses and strains of the piezoelectric energy road, the developed energy harvesters were embedded into the polyurethane surface layer (50 mm from the top surface). The typical type of triaxial dump truck loading was applied to the top of each energy harvester. In this paper, a general purpose finite element analysis program called ABAQUS was used and it was assumed that a harvester is installed in the cross section of a typical asphalt pavement structure. RESULTS : The maximum tensile stress of the polyurethane surface layer in the initial fatigue model occurred up to 0.035 MPa in the transverse direction when the truck tire load was loaded on the top of each harvester. The maximum tensile stresses were 0.025 MPa in the intermediate fatigue model and 0.013 MPa in the final fatigue model, which were 72% and 37% lower than that of the initial stage model, respectively. CONCLUSIONS : The main critical damage locations can be estimated between the base layer and the surface layer. If the crack propagates, bottom-up cracking from the base layer is the main cracking pattern where the tensile stress is higher than in other locations. It is also considered that the possibility of cracking in the top-down direction at the edge of energy harvester is more likely to occur because the material strength of the energy harvester is much higher and plays a role in the supporting points. In terms of long-term performance, all tensile stresses in the energy harvester and polyurethane layer are less than 1% of the maximum tensile strength and the possibility of fatigue damage was very low. Since the harvester is embedded in the surface layer of the polyurethane, which has higher tensile strength and toughness, it can assure a good, long-term performance.
