International Journal of Research In Science & Engineering
Volume: 1 Issue: 3
e-ISSN: 2394-8299
p-ISSN: 2394-8280
PIEZOELECTRICITY: CONVERSION OF DAILY USE FORCES INTO
USEFUL ELECTRICITY
Sushil kumar1 , Vishal Kumar2
1
2
Student, Mechanical Engineering Department, NIT Raipur, [email protected]
Student, Electronics and Communication Engineering Department, IIIT Delhi, [email protected]
ABSTRACT
This is anway for converting the force into useful electricity from our daily activities.Even from our schools
we have learnt that force * displacement = work and work is a high grade energy. We can generate work and
hence energy from force. There are various ways in which we have already done it, like converting the force
of tidal waves into energy by passing it through prime mover, energy through dams etc. But in this era where
energy crisis are at its peak we need to develop a method which can be used to generate ene rgy from our day
to day life and we are perhaps neglecting them and not utilizing them. However if this happens energy crisis
will disappear and we don’t need petroleum to do everything for us every time.
Keywords:piezoelectricity, piezoelectric transducer piezoelectric crystals, etc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. INTRODUCTION
Piezoelectricity (also called the piezoelectric effect) is the appearance of an electrical potential (a voltage, in
other words) across the sides of a crystal when you subject it to mecha nical stress (by squeezing it).In most
crystals (such as metals), the unit cell (the basic repeating unit) is symmetrical; in piezoelectric cry stals, it isn't.
Normally, piezoelectric crystals are electrically neutral: the atoms inside them may not be symmetrically
arranged, but their electrical charges are perfectly balanced: a positive charge in one place cancels out a negative
charge nearby. However, if you squeeze or stretch a piezoelectric crystal, you deform the structure, pushing
some of the atoms closer together or further apart, upsetting the balance of positive and negative, and causing
net electrical charges to appear. This effect carries through the whole structure so net positive and negative
charges appear on opposite, outer faces of the crystal[3].
1.1 How Piezoelectricity Works
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Normally, the charges in a piezoelectric crystal are exactly balanced, even if they're not symmetrically
arranged.
The effects of the charges exactly cancel out, leaving no net charge on the crystal faces. (More
specifically, the electric dipole moments—vector lines separating opposite charges —exactly cancel
one another out.)
If you squeeze the crystal (massively exaggerated in this picture), you force the charges out of balance.
Now the effects of the charges (their dipole moments) no longer cancel one another out and net positive
and negative charges appear on opposite crystal faces. By squeezing the crystal, you've produced a
voltage across its opposite faces —and that's piezoelectricity!
There are all kinds of situations where we need to convert mechanical energy (pressure or movement of
some kind) into electrical signals or vice-versa. Often we can do that with a piezoelectric transducer.
IJRISE| www.ijrise.org|[email protected] [90-92]
International Journal of Research In Science & Engineering
Volume: 1 Issue: 3

e-ISSN: 2394-8299
p-ISSN: 2394-8280
A transducer is simply a device that converts small amounts of energy from one kind into another (for
example, converting light, soundor mechanical pressure into electrical signals)[1][2].
For low frequency operation (0 to 5 KHz) a conservative recommendation for applied bi-polar voltage
for a .0075" thick single sheet of PSI-5A ceramic is ±90 volts. Voltage applied in the poling direction
only can be raised up to ~300 volts .[5]
Fig-1: Working of Piezoelectric crystal
2. Day to day application
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Every time while travelling through Delhi’s overpopulated buses or metros we always see people
pulling and rushing around, it seems we are wasting some energy conversion technique there. Why
can’t we use it? After all people are applying forces whether by pulling the handles provided on the
rods for standing support. Or sitting on the seats. Piezoelectric sensors just need displacement or we
can say cyclic loading on them each time a person sits and exchanges seats which happen quickly in
Delhi the piezoelectric crystals fitted below the seats will just convert that force into electricity and
stores it in the capacitor. This energy can be used either to charge up the batteries in the buses or to use
to lit the bulbs which will otherwise require some other source and hence consumption
Railway tracks beneath the metros are always subjected to fluctuating load every time metro passes
over them and that too every five minutes of time so why not fit the piezoelectric crystals beneath the
track and generates some energy.
The moving wheels of our automobiles, take a point on the wheel each time it hits the road during its
period of rotation which is 50 to 60 times a second .we can say that it’s nothing but a fluctuating load
and hence piezoelectric crystals can be installed there to produce energy
We sleep on our beds and take curdles isn’t it a fluctuating load and can be used by piezoelectric
crystals??
Any sort of thing where we apply forces in our day to day lives whether in schools sitting on benches
or raining on your houses roof etc. we can apply the concept of piezoelectric crystals to convert these
vibrations or fluctuations into energy.
Fig-2: Practical example of Piezoelectricity Production
IJRISE| www.ijrise.org|[email protected] [90-92]
International Journal of Research In Science & Engineering
Volume: 1 Issue: 3





e-ISSN: 2394-8299
p-ISSN: 2394-8280
Normally every day we walk 5-10 km a day, we can use this by installing piezoelectriccrystals in the
heels of our shoes, slippers as we walk the pressure act on the heel of our shoe in this way we generate
electricity and we can use it for charging our mobiles.
In Gym and workout areas we use equipment like treadmill there also we waste our energy that can
also be utilized if we use track of the treadmill as piezoelectric crystals installed in it.
In Pubs and bars people dance at DJ there huge amount of pressure is applied on the DJ floor we can
use piezoelectric crystals beneath the DJ floor so that we can harvest that energy and convert it into
electrical energy.
On highways heavy load vehicles pass every day frequently so we can use this by installing
piezoelectric crystals in some section of road by this we can generate electricity and it can be used for
road lights. This can be useful in areas where transmission of electricity is not possible e.g. hilly roads.
It can be used as street lights where people walking around generate electricity through their footsteps.
REFERENCES
[1]http://www.smartpie.nl/sitec/serverspecific/default/images/File/AnIntroductionToPiezoelectricMaterialsAndApplicatioIntroPages.pdf
[2]Carlioz.L “Temperature threshold tuning of a thermal harvesting switch” IEEE Trans on Solid State Devices
pp-1385-1388, 2009
[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Piezoelectricity
[4] Sidney Lang, "Pyroelectricity: From Ancient Curiosity to Modern Imaging Tool", Physics Today, August,
2005, pp. 31-36, and Sidney B. Lang, "Sourcebook of Pyroelectricity", (London: Gordon & Breach, 1974)
[5] http://www.piezo.com/tech3faq.html#app4
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