Republic of the Philippines

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Prototype Designing and Testing of

Piezoelectric Foam: Specialized for

Seat Attachment

Researchers:

DOMINGO, Raymond Richard

LACOSTA, Ma. Teresa

LEOCHICO, Ezekiel

LOPEZ, Gian

MANLANGIT, Daniel
 INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In the past two years, the world shut down. Everyone cannot go outside like they

used to do before. The global pandemic leads to a new system where business process

outsourcing (BPO) jobs like call centers, human resources, accounting, and payroll are

working at home. Students don’t need to attend physical schooling because of possible

infection of the virus. Online businesses become more in demand because all physical

stores were closed. People do their stuff sitting on a chair for the whole day. All things

can be done in an instant.

The researchers will use piezoelectricity. According to Berlincourt (1971), the

ability of a material to create an internal electric field is subjected to mechanical stress

or strain is piezoelectricity. “Squeeze certain crystals (such as quartz) and you can

make electricity flow through them. The reverse is usually true as well: if you pass

electricity through the same crystals, they "squeeze themselves" by vibrating back and

forth,” (Woodford, C. 2022).

Based on Tweedie, M. (2020), The word piezoelectricity comes from the Greek

word piezein, which means squeeze or press, and electron, which means “amber” and

is an ancient source of electric charge. As mentioned by Rodriguez, E. (2018)

piezoelectricity is the appearance of a positive electric charge on one side of certain

nonconducting crystals and a negative charge on the opposite side when the crystals

are subjected to mechanical pressure.

This study focuses on a design that produces energy by sitting in a prototype that

has a piezo-ceramic plate attached to a wood sheet inside the foam gel seat cushion
that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy that will be transferred to a battery.

According to APC International (2021), when mechanically operated

with pressure or vibration, piezo-ceramic has the capacity to create electric voltages

sufficient to spark across an electrode gap. Piezoelectric ceramics are often used to

ignite a fuel source in lighters, gas stoves, and welding equipment.

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

 Re-designing
the seat
attachment and
innovates it into
energy
 Generates and generating
Collects device.
electricity using
a mechanical  Installation of
stress when piezoelectric
material and a  A prototype
sitting.
piezoelectric
battery as a
foam, specialized
storage of for seat
electricity attachment.
 A seat gathered in the
attachment seat attachment
cushion that
absorbs the  Testing the
stress of human piezoelectric
weight. foam prototype
and measuring
the amount of
electricity
produced.

Figure 1: Research Paradigm

Figure 1 shows the research paradigm of the study with the Input-Process-

Output model.
 The objective of this research is to develop a seat attachment that allows the

user to generate electricity. Furthermore, the researchers were inspired by the concepts

of piezoelectric materials, which create energy when subjected to stress and vibration.

Implementing the knowledge and concepts gained. The researchers modified the

key components of the seat attachment in order to install a system that generates and

stores electricity. The modified seat attachment will be tested utilizing various metrics as

part of the procedure to determine its feasibility and efficiency.

The outcome of the study resulted in an innovative piezoelectric foam seat

attachment that can transform mechanical stress into an electrical charge that can be

used or stored.
Statement of the Problem

Generally, the study aims to innovate a prototype design of piezoelectric foam

and test its efficiency when it comes to electricity production.

Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions:

1. How much energy (in volts) can the prototype device produce when

various masses are loaded?

2. In compared to prior and typical piezoelectric device designs, how

accessible is it to use?

3. How efficient is the device in terms of:

a. Durability

b. Functionality

c. Costing

The main goal of the research is to be able to propose an innovative prototype

design for a piezoelectric foam, specialized in seat attachment that can serve as reliable

source of energy, consequently the significance of finding the sum of charge it can

generate, how much mass or pressure it takes, and the device structure.
Statement of the Hypothesis

Ha: The prototype piezoelectric foam will be able to produce a significant number

of x-volts depending on the mass it receives.

H0: The prototype piezoelectric foam will not be able to produce a significant

number of x-volts depending on the mass it receives.

Hb: The prototype piezoelectric foam is much more accessible and easier to use

than the previous and typical piezoelectric devices.

H0: The prototype piezoelectric foam is more difficult to use and inaccessible

than the previous and typical piezoelectric devices.

Hc: The prototype hammer is effective in terms of durability, functionality and

costing.

H0: The prototype hammer is ineffective in terms of durability, functionality and

costing.
Scope and Limitation

This study focuses on developing a prototype design of piezoelectric foam

specialized for seat attachment as an effective alternative for generating electricity.

It implies that the study may not be generally applicable to individuals that have

not specialized in mechanical and technical studies.

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the prototype design of

piezoelectric foam specialized for seat attachment and its advantages to society. This is

significant for the following:

Students: to help them gain and create more ideas for their academic

performance and to weigh out the pros and cons of this study.

Teachers: to serve as guides and references in their lessons regarding

mechanical and technological principles.

Inventors: to help them with making new ideas of inventions that can possibly be

made and to support them in making an opportunity to develop more advanced

technology.

Future Researchers: to act as guides and references for their research studies,

allowing them to seek strong evidence that will improve their research skills. They may

widen the scope and may improve this study through their contributions.
REFERENCES