The engine of any economy is good transportation infrastructure and the supply of energy to support the freight transport and traveling public. Transportation infrastructure network assets have been the backbone of passenger mobility, vital for freight transport, and an important contributor to the nation’s economy. Transportation infrastructure systems in a “sustainable” world require engineers to minimize demand on natural resources, energy consumption, and adverse impacts on the environment. This paper presents key results of a case study of technical feasibility and economic viability of an alternative transportation corridor on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. The results of the life cycle costs and benefits favor a commuter rail service on a shared rail corridor. Added benefits include reduction of auto traffic and auto emissions. Additionally, this paper discusses the feasibility of utilizing piezoelectric materials in the harvesting of lost energy from the vibrations produced by train-rail corridors. The use of the piezoelectric sensor is a well-established technology for counting traffic on roads. In recent years, piezoelectric material has emerged as one of the most promising methods for energy harvesting from traffic-induced vibrations. This paper presents a second case study that investigates the enhancement of the piezoelectric material by coating it with a special nano particle mixture. The results indicate a more than 400% improvement in energy harvesting compared to the traditional piezoelectric material. This provides a great opportunity to tap into this source of energy being lost to the environment in the form of vibrations from train-rail corridor systems.
Environmental and Energy Concerns for a Life Cycle Analysis of Transportation Systems
International Symposium on Systematic Approaches to Environmental Sustainability in Transportation ; 2015 ; Fairbanks, Alaska
2015-07-31
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
Sustainability and environmental concerns in transportation
TIBKAT | 2000
|The Marine Transportation System and Environmental Concerns
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2000
|