On the performance mechanisms of Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs) show promise for robotics and mechatronics applications. They are lightweight, low costs, and have shown good performance in laboratory demonstration. However, these actuators have not been widely applied commercially after more than 10 years of development. One reason is that the mechanisms governing their performance are not completely understood. Hence designing practical actuators is difficult. This paper has the objective of understanding the dominant performance mechanisms of DEAs made with VHB 4905/4910 from 3 M. To do so, an experimental characterization of actuator performance is conducted in terms of force, power, current consumption, work output, and efficiency. Key performance mechanisms of viscoelasticity and current leakage are identified from experimental observations and analytical models are developed. The models explain well the experimental observations and should aid designers in selecting applications that are appropriate for DEAs as well as designing effective DEAs.