The acrylic elastomer membrane VHB 4910 is a material widely used for applications as Dielectric Elastomer Actuators DEA. For suitable actuation performance however, it is necessary to pre-strain the very compliant membrane. This reduces the lifetime of DEA due to early failure of the tensioned membrane. Interpenetrating Polymer Network Reinforced Acrylic Elastomers (IPN) are produced by introducing a curable additive into the pre-strained acrylic elastomer membrane. While curing at elevated temperature, the additive forms a second polymeric network that supports part of the pre-strain in the acrylic membrane. This leads to a free standing material that combines the actuation performance of pre-strained VHB 4910 with an excellent long-term reliability. This work presents a detailed mechanical characterization of acrylic IPN membranes. To reduce the experimental effort required to characterize the nonlinear elastic behavior, we developed a unique specimen design that enables the assessment of uni- and biaxial stress states within one experiment. Slight changes in the material composition of IPN-membranes lead to substantial variations in their mechanical properties. The extraction of material behavior in different kinematic states within a single sample thus reduces the uncertainty on the determination of constitutive models. An extensive experimental campaign was carried out involving uniaxial and equibiaxial tension and relaxation. Image based local deformation measurements and iterative finite element calculations were applied to derive constitutive model parameters that describe the mechanical response in a wide range of planar strain and strain rat
