Developing an Analytical Model for Viscoelastic Anisotropic Dielectric Elastomer and Investigating the Rate Dependent Electromechanical Behavior

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Mechanical Engineering Faculty, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The studies on the behavior of dielectric elastomers, as one of the electroactive polymers, often focus on their hyperelastic and dielectric properties. However, the expansion of the use of these materials as actuators depend on a better understanding of the factors affecting their behavior, including viscoelasticity, as well as the possibility of adding new features such as anisotropy. In this work, a nonlinear coupled model was presented to describe the behavior of anisotropic hyper viscoelastic materials with dielectric properties using the development of fundamental relations in continuum mechanics and the study of governing equations. First, the proposed model was evaluated by stepwise comparing the results of the presented model with the experimental results reported in the available literature. The acceptable agreement between the results indicates the model’s accuracy in describing the material's behavior. Next, using the comprehensive form of the model, the effect of loading rate and electric field on the behavior of fiber-reinforced elastomers at various orientations has been studied. The results from applying the model to a sample problem show that increasing the angle of the fibers relative to the horizon reduces the stress range and increases the impact of the loading rate and electric field.

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References

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Amirkabir Journal of Mechanical Engineering
Volume 54, Issue 12
March 2023
Pages 2781-2800

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