An energy harvesting system using the wind-induced vibration of a stay cable for powering a wireless sensor node

Abstract

This paper proposes an electromagnetic energy harvesting system, which utilizes the wind-induced vibration of a stay cable, and investigates its feasibility for powering a wireless sensor node on the cable through numerical simulations as well as experimental tests. To this end, the ambient acceleration responses of a stay cable installed in an in-service cable-stayed bridge are measured, and then they are used as input excitations in cases of both numerical simulations and experimental tests to evaluate the performance of the proposed energy harvesting system. The results of the feasibility test demonstrate that the proposed system generates sufficient electricity for operation of a wireless sensor node attached on the cable under the moderate wind conditions.