Tarbiat Modares University Modares Mechanical Engineering 2476-6909 26 10 2026 09 23 Design and Optimization of a Pendulum Driven Piezoelectric Energy Harvester Embedded in Wheel Spokes for Autonomous Tire Sensor Systems Design and Optimization of a Pendulum Driven Piezoelectric Energy Harvester Embedded in Wheel Spokes for Autonomous Tire Sensor Systems 769 779 28771 10.48311/mme.2026.119397.82983 FA Javad Farjadi Bajestani Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Mohammad Hossein Abolbashari Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran 0000-0001-6703-6364 Journal Article 2026 02 18 Energy harvesting technologies aim to recover wasted mechanical energy and are typically categorized into piezoelectric, electromagnetic, and electrostatic mechanisms. Among these, piezoelectric harvesters are particularly appealing due to their structural simplicity, scalability, and high energy density. This study presents a novel vibration-based piezoelectric energy harvesting system integrated within the spokes of a vehicle wheel to continuously supply power for autonomous tire sensor systems. The design employs a pendulum embedded inside each spoke that oscillates during wheel rotation and impacts plates on both sides, thereby exciting the piezoelectric layers mounted on them and converting vibrational energy into electrical output. Eliminating the use of adhesives and the placement of piezoelectric plates significantly improve structural integrity, durability, and operational safety compared to conventional strain based configurations mounted on the tire’s inner liner. The governing equations were solved and the results were validated against finite element analysis performed in COMSOL Multiphysics. The proposed configuration achieves average output power levels exceeding those of previously reported wheel-based designs by factors ranging from 2 to 20,000 while maintaining stable performance within the 20–120 km/h speed range required for Tire Pressure Monitoring System applications. Genetic algorithm–based optimization further enhanced the performance by 82.27%, confirming the system’s feasibility for next-generation intelligent tire technologies. Energy harvesting technologies aim to recover wasted mechanical energy and are typically categorized into piezoelectric, electromagnetic, and electrostatic mechanisms. Among these, piezoelectric harvesters are particularly appealing due to their structural simplicity, scalability, and high energy density. This study presents a novel vibration-based piezoelectric energy harvesting system integrated within the spokes of a vehicle wheel to continuously supply power for autonomous tire sensor systems. The design employs a pendulum embedded inside each spoke that oscillates during wheel rotation and impacts plates on both sides, thereby exciting the piezoelectric layers mounted on them and converting vibrational energy into electrical output. Eliminating the use of adhesives and the placement of piezoelectric plates significantly improve structural integrity, durability, and operational safety compared to conventional strain based configurations mounted on the tire’s inner liner. The governing equations were solved and the results were validated against finite element analysis performed in COMSOL Multiphysics. The proposed configuration achieves average output power levels exceeding those of previously reported wheel-based designs by factors ranging from 2 to 20,000 while maintaining stable performance within the 20–120 km/h speed range required for Tire Pressure Monitoring System applications. Genetic algorithm–based optimization further enhanced the performance by 82.27%, confirming the system’s feasibility for next-generation intelligent tire technologies. https://mme.modares.ac.ir/article_28771_97f415c3bb3fe916c116c41d3746cc73.pdf