Electro-mechanical analysis of a dielectric EAP actuator

Dielectric Electro-Active Polymers (EAP's) can achieve substantial deformation (>300% strain) while, compared to their ionic counterparts, sustaining large forces. This makes them attractive for various actuation and sensing applications such as light weight and energy efficient valve and pumping systems.. This paper provides a systematic experimental investigation of the quasi-static and dynamic electro-mechanical properties of a commercially available dielectric EAP actuator in the frequency range up to 20Hz. In order to completely characterize the fully coupled behavior force vs. displacement measurements at various constant voltages and force vs. voltage measurements at various fixed displacements are conducted. The experiments are conducted with a particular focus on the hysteretic and ratedependent material behavior.