Development of a Multi-Resonant Impact-Driven Energy Harvester (MRI-DEH) for Electrification of Rural Rail Crossings

This research proposal aims to address the critical need for enhancing safety at rural rail crossings where reliable power sources are often lacking. Building upon previous work of the PIs, where low-power vibration sensors were explored for detecting trains upstream in rural areas using deep learning-based time series prediction algorithms, this project focuses on designing, analyzing, and testing a Multi-Resonant Impact-Driven Energy Harvester (MRI-DEH) by incorporating an impact-driven mechanism for electrification of rural rail crossings. This innovative approach seeks to enhance electromechanical coupling by integrating multiple resonators, each tuned to a specific local excitation frequency of rail-track vibration, and to broaden the device's resonance frequency band by leveraging impact effects. The proposed tasks include analytical modeling with closed-form solutions for a parametric study, numerical simulations, and both laboratory and field testing. The optimization of the energy harvester's design will involve conducting a parametric study on key parameters to maximize the generated electrical power. These parameters include the geometrical dimensions and pole orientations of permanent magnets, dimensions of copper coils, their distances from the outer surfaces of the permanent magnets, and the size of gap between the copper coils and the stopper. The anticipated outcome of this research is a scalable, cost-effective energy harvester optimized for rural grade crossings to enhance their safety by providing electric power for train detection sensors.

Language

  • English

Project

  • Status: Active
  • Funding: $111168
  • Contract Numbers:

    69A3552348340

  • Sponsor Organizations:

    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

    University Transportation Centers Program
    Department of Transportation
    Washington, DC  United States  20590

    University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

    1201 W. University Dr
    Edinburg, TX  United States  78539
  • Managing Organizations:

    University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

    1201 W. University Dr
    Edinburg, TX  United States  78539
  • Project Managers:

    Stearns, Amy

  • Performing Organizations:

    University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

    1201 W. University Dr
    Edinburg, TX  United States  78539
  • Principal Investigators:

    Amjadian, Mohsen

    Tarawneh, Constantine

  • Start Date: 20240601
  • Expected Completion Date: 20250531
  • Actual Completion Date: 0
  • USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01924846
  • Record Type: Research project
  • Source Agency: University Transportation Center for Railway Safety
  • Contract Numbers: 69A3552348340
  • Files: UTC, RIP
  • Created Date: Jul 22 2024 7:54AM