Advances in soft robotic systems enable to create devices that can elegantly deal with complex environments and gently interface with humans. However, much progress in actuator technologies is required for adoption in practical and commercial scale-up implementations. An helical dielectric elastomer actuator (HDEA) can be a promising solution that fits in these applications. Nevertheless, in order to move forward from theory to practice, many aspects still need to be developed and advanced. For instance, current works may be insufficient to advance the topics in control systems applied to actuator geometry, in relation to relevant segments such as material synthesis and design for manufacturing. It is apparent that absence of a more complete and generalized dynamics model of an HDEA limits rapid engineering progress in this field. In some previous research, important contributions of electromechanical model were proposed for linear and nonlinear hyperelastic materials. However, other effects such as viscoelasticity and hysteresis in the strain-voltage relation were often neglected. This paper presents the dynamical model derivation of an HDEA using lumped parameters to model the electrical and mechanical behavior of the actuator. Furthermore, it covers the most imperative effects embedded in the dynamics of the actuator. In this work, the dielectric elastomeric transducer is modeled with VHB 4910 acrylic due to its well-documented material parameters needed in the non-linear strain energy functions.
Folding sheet materials into cylindrical structures using an origami-based approach allows the sheet materials to be densely packed within a confined space that can be deployed when needed. Kresling pattern, which is a cylindrical origami pattern consisting of identical triangular panels with cyclic symmetry, functions under the spontaneous buckling of a thin cylindrical shell under torsional loading. The incorporation of smart materials, such as electroactive polymers, in origami structures can allow them to actively fold using electrical stimuli. In this study, finite element analysis (FEA) is performed in a single cell of Kresling pattern as well as the continuous Kresling pattern-based origami structure. Furthermore, different placements of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) implemented within the origami structure are studied to identify the performance. The objective of this study is to validate the effectiveness of DEAs as a method to actively fold the origami structure, to deform and return to its initial state, and to investigate the geometric parameters on the folding structure incorporated with DEAs. Equivalent mechanical pressure and stress are used as loads in the FEA to simulate the electric actuation performed by the DEAs. By thorough FEA investigation, the impact of geometric parameters, material properties, and placement of DEAs on the origami structure for optimal performance is studied to avoid trial and error iterations for experimental studies.
Fabrication of dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) using additive manufacturing techniques can provide an alternative solution for current manufacturing processes of DEAs that are generally inconsistent and time consuming. In addition, additive manufacturing can allow DEAs with complex geometric configurations to be realized. This study investigates analytical approaches to optimize the performance of helical dielectric elastomer actuator (HDEA) based on additive manufacturing technologies. Optimized geometric configurations tailored to additive manufacturing and proper material selection for elastomer and electrode can improve the overall performance of HDEA. Due to the absence of pre-stretch in the elastomer membranes with additive manufacturing, associated drawbacks, such as electromechanical instability, high external voltage requirement, and their alternate solutions are analyzed and discussed. The performance of HDEA are evaluated by displacement, block force, and weight-to-force ratio by varying multiple geometric parameters including membrane thickness, pitch angle, inner-toouter electrode ratio, and actuation voltage. Since the selection of materials is as important as the geometric parameters of the actuator, printable elastomer and electrode materials with dielectric and mechanical properties for HDEA are evaluated. By optimizing geometric parameters and selecting appropriate materials based on its properties, appropriate manufacturing techniques are discussed to print both dielectric elastomer and electrode layers.
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