The document proposes using piezoelectric materials to automate lighting in railway tunnels. Piezoelectric mats would be placed before tunnels, and as trains pass over them, the mats would generate a signal to turn on the tunnel lights. This would reduce unnecessary lighting and associated electricity costs while the tunnel is empty. Tests of prototype piezoelectric mats showed they can successfully generate a voltage when weight is applied. If implemented, this concept could reduce fossil fuel usage and electricity costs for lighting while helping the environment.

1. Use of Piezoelectric Energy
to Automate the Lighting
System Inside Railway
Tunnel
• Vivek Mahesh Naik
• B.E Mechanical
• Mumbai University

2. Table of Content
• Problem statement
• Solution to problem
• Limitation of existing technology
• Advantages of concept
• Piezo Mat
• Observation of tests over Mat
• Conclusion

3. Problem Statement
• The lights inside these
tunnels glow 24 X 7 for
365 days.
• To reduce the
consumption of electricity
used by lights inside
railway tunnels of our
country.

4. Solution to Problem
• Use of piezoelectric material.
• Piezoelectric material on
application of force produce
potential difference which is
called “Piezoelectric Effect”
• A mat of piezo material can be
placed a mile before the
tunnel apart at a distance
from the tracks of railway.
• As the EMU ( Electric Multiple
Unit ) of train passes over the
mat, it will generate a signal in
the form of potential
difference.
Fig. Piezoelectric Effect

5. Solution (cont.)
• The amount of potential difference produced will be
dependent on the force exerted by train.
Force Imparted = Potential Difference Developed
• After receiving the threshold signal a program will run which
will turn ON the lights of tunnel.
• Thus the lights of tunnel will turn ON before the train enters
the tunnel and the program can be timed to turn OFF the
lights after particular time period.

6. Limitation of existing
technology
• The lights of tunnels remain ON for 24 hours and 365 days.
• Due to which a large amount of wastage of electricity takes
place.
• Also air inside the tunnel gets heated.
• Increases the carbon footprints in atmosphere.

7. Advantages of the concept
• Reduced consumption of electricity.
• Due to above reduction, generous amount of electricity will
be available for lighting the dark homes of villagers.
• Reduced pressure on fossil fuel for generation of electricity
• Reduction in carbon footprints from the atmosphere.
• No external power supply for triggering
• Maintenance cost of piezo materials is less.
• Increased life of bulbs.
• Increased monetary savings of railway treasury.

8. Coal, 61.51
Hydroelectricit
y, 15.42
Renewable
Energy, 11.84
Natural Gas,
8.61
Nuclear, 2.16
Oil, 0.44
Coal
Hydroelectricity
Renewable Energy
Natural Gas
Nuclear
Oil
Fig. :- Percentage of Electricity production
from various fields

9. Piezo Mat
Fig1. Piezoelectric mat

10. Piezo Mat (cont.)
Fig 2. Cover plate of piezo mat Fig 3. Assembly of plates

11. Observation of tests over
mat
Fig. Graph of variation in voltage with time for respective weights

12. Conclusion
• As an initial step, if this
concept is implemented in our
state, the results can be easily
viewed because the konkan
railway itself has 91 tunnels.
• Implementation of this
concept can reduce the
amount of fossil fuel import.
• It can save the country’s
environment from
deterioration.

13. References
• www.walkthroughindia.com
• www.wikipedia.org.in
• www.timesofindia.com
• www.indianrailways.info.org