Optimal Synthesis of Conically-Shaped Dielectric Elastomer Actuators: Design Methodology and Experimental Validation

A mathematical procedure is presented, which makes it possible to optimize conically-shaped dielectric-elastomer linear actuators for known materials and desired force/stroke requirements.The actuators are obtained by coupling a dielectric elastomer film with a compliant frame which is sized by means of a pseudo-rigid-body model. Depending on the frame design, the actuators can work mono-directionally or bi-directionally.Simulation and experimental results are provided which demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed design procedure and show that well-behaved conically-shaped actuators can be conceived and realized