FABRICATION OF A DIELECTRIC ELECTRO ACTIVE POLYMER TUBE ACTUATOR WITH PRE-STRAIN MECHANISM

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to discuss and present our work on the fabrication of a Dielectric Electro Active Polymer (DEAP) actuator with a pre-strain mechanism. In this study the actuator uses commercially available evaluation DEAP film from Danfoss Polypower A/S. The manufacturing process is presented as well blocked force and free displacement data for voltages ranging from 0 to 2500 volts. Challenges encountered during the manufacturing of the actuator are also described and possible solutions discussed. INTRODUCTION Dielectric electro active polymers (DEAP) belong to a specific class of materials within the electro active polymers (EAP) family that responds to electrical stimulation with significant deformation. DEAP can be used as actuators, sensors [1] and energy harvesting devices DEAP is essentially a compliant capacitor that consists of an elastomeric polymer film coated on both sides with compliant electrodes. When a voltage difference is applied between the electrodes, Maxwell stress is generated on the film which leads the elastomer to contract in thickness and expand the in-plan