Non-Contact Energy Harvesting for Rural Grade Crossings – Year 3

The network of United States railroads often spans remote parts of the country that are sparsely populated. In these areas, rail grade crossings are much less likely to have warning lights or crossing gates primarily due to the lack of electricity. Such unprotected or passive crossings have the majority of the grade crossing fatalities and accidents. To reduce rail accidents, enhanced warning systems are needed at as many passive crossings as possible. The research team proposes to create a new energy harvesting approach based on the motion of the wheels to generate sufficient power for a ight-emitting diode (LED)-based grade crossing warning system. Recent advances to create small and powerful magnets allows for the design of a non-contact power generation approach that is activated with each passing wheel. The feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated and an initial prototype will provide data for optimization of the energy harvesting capabilities.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.utrgv.edu/railwaysafety/research/mechanical/index.htm
• Supplemental Notes:
  • UTRGV is a partner for this project.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $128,001.00
• 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 Nebraska, Lincoln

  Lincoln, NE  United States 
• Managing Organizations:

  University of Nebraska, Lincoln

  Lincoln, NE  United States 
• Project Managers:

  Stearns, Amy

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Nebraska, Lincoln

  Lincoln, NE  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Turner, Joseph

  Nelson, Carl

• Start Date: 20250601
• Expected Completion Date: 20260831
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Electric generators; Electromagnetic devices; Grade crossing protection systems; Light emitting diodes; Power converters; Railroad grade crossings; Railroad safety; Warning systems
• Subject Areas: Energy; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01960672
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University Transportation Center for Railway Safety
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348340
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jul 14 2025 7:06PM