Power harvesting for railroad track safety enhancement using vertical track displacement

Carl A. Nelson; Stephen R. Platt; Sean E. Hansen; Mahmood Fateh

doi:10.1117/12.815544

6 April 2009 Power harvesting for railroad track safety enhancement using vertical track displacement

Carl A. Nelson, Stephen R. Platt, Sean E. Hansen, Mahmood Fateh

Proceedings Volume 7288, Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems 2009; 728811 (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.815544
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2009, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

A significant portion of railroad infrastructure exists in areas that are relatively remote. Railroad crossings in these areas are typically only marked with reflective signage and do not have warning light systems or crossbars due to the cost of electrical infrastructure. Distributed sensor networks used for railroad track health monitoring applications would be useful in these areas, but the same limitation regarding electrical infrastructure exists. This motivates the search for a long-term, low-maintenance power supply solution for remote railroad deployment. This paper describes the development of a mechanical device for harvesting mechanical power from passing railcar traffic that can be used to supply electrical power to warning light systems at crossings and to remote networks of sensors via rechargeable batteries. The device is mounted to and spans two rail ties such that it directly harnesses the vertical displacement of the rail and attached ties and translates the linear motion into rotational motion. The rotational motion is amplified and mechanically rectified to rotate a PMDC generator that charges a system of batteries. A prototype was built and tested in a laboratory setting for verifying functionality of the design. Results indicate power production capabilities on the order of 10 W per device in its current form. This is sufficient for illuminating high-efficiency LED lights at a railroad crossing or for powering track-health sensor networks.

Citation Download Citation

Carl A. Nelson, Stephen R. Platt, Sean E. Hansen, and Mahmood Fateh "Power harvesting for railroad track safety enhancement using vertical track displacement", Proc. SPIE 7288, Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems 2009, 728811 (6 April 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.815544

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available