Fiber-Reinforced Equibiaxial Dielectric Elastomer Actuator for Out-of-Plane Displacement

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Simon Holzer - , Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) (Author)
  • Stefania Konstantinidi - , Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) (Author)
  • Markus Koenigsdorff - , Chair of Solid State Electronics (Author)
  • Thomas Martinez - , Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) (Author)
  • Yoan Civet - , Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) (Author)
  • Gerald Gerlach - , Chair of Solid State Electronics (Author)
  • Yves Perriard - , Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) (Author)

Abstract

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) have gained significant attention due to their potential in soft robotics and adaptive structures. However, their performance is often limited by their in-plane strain distribution and limited mechanical stability. We introduce a novel design utilizing fiber reinforcement to address these challenges. The fiber reinforcement provides enhanced mechanical integrity and improved strain distribution, enabling efficient energy conversion and out-of-plane displacement. We discuss an analytical model and the fabrication process, including material selection, to realize fiber-reinforced DEAs. Numerical simulations and experimental results demonstrate the performance of the fiber-reinforced equibiaxial DEAs and characterize their displacement and force capabilities. Actuators with four and eight fibers are fabricated with 100 (Formula presented.) m and 200 (Formula presented.) m dielectric thicknesses. A maximal out-of-plane displacement of 500 (Formula presented.) m is reached, with a force of 0.18 N, showing promise for the development of haptic devices.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number3672
JournalMaterials
Volume17
Issue number15
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-7062-9598/work/174430528

Keywords

Keywords

  • dielectric elastomer actuators, fiber reinforcement, haptic interfaces, soft actuators