Developing a Piezoelectric Generator for Military Equipment - A Feasibility Study

• Published in: Electric power components and systems Vol. 51; no. 17; pp. 1859 - 1877
• Main Authors: Sathasivam, Karthikeyan, Garip, Ilhan, Sharif, Hayder, Abbas, Jamal K., Hussein, Ali Adhab, Khaleel, Shahad K., Rasol, Mustafa Asaad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Taylor & Francis 21.10.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Autonomy; Charging; Electric devices; Electric power supplies; Electricity distribution; Electronic equipment; Energy storage; Feasibility studies; harnessing energy; Kinetic energy; Knowledge acquisition; Military equipment; Military operations; Military personnel; piezoelectric generator; Piezoelectricity; Power management; Power sources; Prototypes; renewable energy sector; Storage capacity
• ISSN: 1532-5008; 1532-5016
• DOI: 10.1080/15325008.2023.2202680

Today, electric and electronic equipment has become more prominent in almost every economic sector, scientific research, and everyday life. The purpose of this equipment is to enable military operations to be more efficient and effective. This equipment's main problem is its autonomy, which is dependent on an electric power source: even if it has batteries or other energy storage sources, these need charging, and their storage capacity is usually proportional to their weight. Weight can negatively affect a foot soldier's agility and reduce his operational capacity when carrying batteries. In piezoelectric generators, mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy, allowing dissipated kinetic energy to be converted into electricity. This dissertation presents a prototype piezoelectric generator integrated into a boot. It can charge electronic equipment and electric devices carried around by military personnel. According to the prototype, an AAA battery can be charged in approximately seven million steps by generating 80 kJ of energy per step. Even though the isolated prototype cannot be used to power the equipment of a military on foot, it can be combined with other forms of electrical power for the same purpose or for enhancing the autonomy of emergency systems such as those that detect man overboard. The components of a piezoelectric generator were identified and explored through analyzed work by several researchers. An electrical power supply for military electrical and electronic equipment was developed by incorporating a piezoelectric generator into a boot using the knowledge acquired during the study.