Elastic Behaviour of DEAP Film in the Development of Actuators

AbstractSmart materials are used in many critical actuation systems for different applications and among them Dielectric Electroactive polymer (DEAP) material produce flexible actuators. These materials are anisotropic and hence knowledge on their mechanical properties becomes a critical factor when such materials are used to develop various smart actuators. Young's modulus is an important design parameter and DEAP has three different modulus values for the three directions. The change in the Young's modulus values is studied and presented in this work. The influence of geometrical parameter on the actuation behaviour of an actuator made of DEAP is also investigated. A few results obtained from scanning electron microscope, optical microscope and nano-indentation test are also presented. The analytical results are compared with experimental results and presented here and they agree with each other if the operating voltage is less than 1500V