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Tire Generators

Rolling forces generate electricity
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This one is for all the fans of the Piezoelectric effect.

Replace some of the cords in radial tires currently made from materials like nylon, rayon, Kevlar with PVF2, a piezo polymer. The streching and deforming of the cords as the tire rolls, especially at the contact patch, will generate a voltage.

bingalls01, Aug 25 2006

Goodyear BHO3 concept tire http://www.gizmag.c...lectric-tire/36548/
"lined with a fishnet pattern of thermo/piezoelectric material. This net turns the heat into electrical current, and its piezoelectric properties also allow it to harvest energy from the tire as it deforms during driving. To keep the tire from overheating, there's also a cooling system in the sidewalls." [jutta, Mar 25 2015]


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Annotation:







       "This one is for all the fans of the Piezoelectric effect."
i imagine it would have to be. I don't think this would generate enough power to make it worthwhile.
st3f, Aug 25 2006
  

       Can you make the tires light up at night?
jmvw, Aug 25 2006
  

       Can fans run on piezoelectricity?
xandram, Aug 25 2006
  

       Where would the energy be stored? In the wheel? That axle?
jellydoughnut, Aug 25 2006
  

       Apparently is does nothing, just generates a voltage.
ldischler, Aug 25 2006
  

       I'd hope this would generate electricity, rather than just a voltage.   

       You could then store it in a battery in the hubcaps... and use them to power your home when you get back!   

       Hmm, is it time to calculate the hamsterpower quotient on this idea...   

       In general, obtaining energy from a powered machine is inherently inefficient. The laws of entropy, as exemplefied in friction especially tend to mean that the energy gotten back from the machine will be matched, or exeeded by increased energy requirements from the machine, which now needs to not only do it's job, but also needs to power an energy harvesting apparatus.
ye_river_xiv, Aug 25 2006
  

       Would be useful for powering tire-mounted or wheel-mounted electrical devices (like spoke LEDs) without requiring either batteries or a hub mounted rotating electrical connector.
yppiz, Dec 04 2007
  

       //In general, obtaining energy from a powered machine is inherently inefficient. The laws of entropy, as exemplefied in friction especially tend to mean that the energy gotten back from the machine will be matched, or exeeded by increased energy requirements from the machine, which now needs to not only do it's job, but also needs to power an energy harvesting apparatus.//   

       False.   

       If the recovered energy comes from the primary action of the machine, then it is true. However, if the recovered energy can be taken from energy that is already wasted by the machine, then it can be efficient. In most cases, however, it is better to try to reduce the waste energy. In the case of car tires, specifically, there are compromises between the lowest possible rolling resistance, traction, and the smoothness of the ride (and the resulting ability to ride on something not as smooth as steel rails). As a result, there is potentially recoverable energy here.   

       The problem is that most waste energy is low quality, giving you a very limited ability to recover it. The criteria on whether it is actually feasible is based on the energy budget. Is the cost of manufacture, plus the cost to carry around whatever extra components are involved, less than the total energy recovered over the life time of the device. In this case, I would be surprised if the answer is yes.   

       Also relevant is whether you can actually recover the energy without putting an additional load on the system. In this case, I believe the answer is yes, because any change in stiffness from the generating mechanism can be offset by choosing a more or less flexible tire material. Once again this is possible because tires are floating between multiple requirements, so not already at the most energy efficient extreme. Doing the same on train wheels, for instance, is unlikely to be possible, because the resulting piezo composite would be less stiff (and thus less efficient) than the plain steel wheels).   

       (And yes, I realize that I am 9 years late, and this was bumped to post someone actually doing it, but there's a lot of slip between a concept car, or tire in this case, and it actually entering production).
MechE, Mar 25 2015
  

       Correct in general MechE, but I'd say in this case the answer would be no. I'm assuming that the PVF2 cords are less perfect springs than other materials that might be used since when stretched, some of the energy is converted to electricity rather than being useful to spring he tire back into shape. Now it the nylon or whatever lost the same amount of energy to heat that PVF2 converts to electricity, then this would be a definite yes.
scad mientist, Mar 25 2015
  

       Then you offset it with a slightly stiffer rubber, if the net flex and recovery of the tire is the same, the total energy lost is the same.
MechE, Mar 25 2015
  

       way easier to do thins in the dampers of the suspension system... Shirley?
bs0u0155, Mar 25 2015
  

       Yes, but it's very different energy you're trying to recover.
MechE, Mar 25 2015
  


 

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