This work presents a novel method for simulating the behavior of solid objects with the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). To introduce and validate our proposed framework, comparative studies are performed for computing the static equilibrium of isotropic materials. Remembering that the LBM has strong theoretical foundations in the Boltzmann equation; this latter is firstly adjusted to solid motions, through its Boltzmann-Vlasov special case. This is indeed the case when combined with a suitable mean-field external force term to set a reliable solid framework. Secondly, a library is built and plugged on the top of the well-known Parallel Lattice Boltzmann Solver (PaLaBoS) library. Numerical implementations based on the previous equation of motion for solids are led in a non-intrusive manner so as to present results with an easy and flawless reproducibility. A newly designed Lattice Boltzmann Method for Solids (LBMS) is exhibited through a few key algorithms, showing the overall operation plus the major improvements. Efficiency, robustness and accuracy of the proposed approach are illustrated and contrasted with a commercial Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software. The obtained results reveal considerable potential concerning static and further dynamic simulations involving solid constitutive laws within the LBM formalism.

Traffic modeling often keeps the mesoscopic scale in the theoretical sphere because of the integro-differential nature of its equations. In the present work, it is suggested to use the lattice Boltzmann method to overcome these difficulties while benefiting the strong theoretical foundation of the method. An alternative version of the lattice Boltzmann method for multi-class and heterogeneity in traffic flow is elaborated in this paper. Its ability to reproduce the fundamental diagram is proved, for both single-class and multi-class flows. This allows easily simulating complex and realistic cases of mixture of multi-class traffic flow. These simulations are able to capture jamming in various traffic situations such as road merging, reduction of the number of lanes or change of speed limits.

Energy moderation of the road transportation sector is required to limit climate change and to preserve resources. This work is focused on the moderation of vehicle consumption by optimizing the speed policy along an itinerary while taking into account vehicle dynamics, driver visibility and the road’s longitudinal profile. First, a criterion is proposed in order to detect speed policies that are impeding drivers’ eco-driving ability. Then, an energy evaluation is carried out and an optimization is proposed. A numerical application is performed on a speed limiting point with 20 usage cases and 5 longitudinal slope values. In the hypothesis of a longitudinal slope of zero, energy savings of 27.7 liter per day could be realized by a speed sign displacement of only 153.6 m. Potential energy savings can increase to up to 308.4 L per day for a $-4\%$ slope case, or up to 70.5 L per day for an ordinary $-2\%$ slope, with a sign displacement of only 391.5 m. This results in a total of 771,975 L of fuel savings over a 30 year infrastructure life cycle period. Therefore a methodology has been developed to help road managers optimize their speed policies with the aim of moderating vehicle consumption.

The rapid development in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT) has paved the way for integration of wireless low-power electronic sensors, typically in the range of milli to micro watt in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems.Energy harvesting of ambient sources present in the SHM systems' environment can potentially generate enough power to target wireless sensor autonomy. Vibrations are an energy source found in abundance in civil engineering structures, such as a bridge, due to various reasons including environmental phenomena, traffic load and human activities. While piezoelectric and electromagnetic energy harvesters are employed to real-world applications such as powering-up sensors deployed in bridges and in marine buoys respectively, Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs) are attracting significant attention due to their cost effectiveness, high conversion efficiency and wide material versatility. This makes TENGs suitable for creating cheap and efficient low-frequency vibration energy harvesters. In this work, a novel architecture of a contact-separation freestanding tribolayer TENG (CFTENG) is demonstrated. In a low frequency (2 Hz) and a low amplitude environment (5 μm) the CFTENG was able to demonstrate an open-circuit voltage of 213.9 V. When connected to an optimal resistance of 50 MΩ, an output voltage of 104.49 V a short-circuit current of 2.09 μA, a peak power of 115.3 μW and energy per contact separation of 3.09 μJ were observed. The results demonstrate that the CFTENG offers a reliable and cost effective alternative solution to harvest energy from low-frequency vibrations and act as a sustainable power source for low-power SHM sensor nodes. The integration of TENGs in a SHM sensor node enables the development of a reliable, cost effective alternative solution lays the groundwork for autonomous self-powered SHM systems.