Dielectric electroactive polymer membranes have been shown to have capabilities both as actuators and generators. Recent models of actuators have shown input to output dynamics that link the electrical energy input to the acceleration of a mass. Models such as these are useful for implementing closed loop control systems and will be necessary in the future for the construction of robust and fault tolerant controls. On the other hand, explanations of the generator behavior of dielectric EAP devices tend to ignore full dynamics. In this paper it is demonstrated that an EAP actuator model with full electrical-mechanical dynamics can be used as a generator model with the generator input force equivalent to the actuator disturbance force. Since the generator and actuator models are equivalent, it can be shown how disturbance inputs can cause energy surges back toward the electrical input. Simulations and experimental results are provided of a device model that describes generation and actuation.

Date Published: 10 April 2008
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 6927, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2008, 69270R (10 April 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.775544

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6927:
Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2008
Yoseph Bar-Cohen, Editor(s)