Modeling and Analysis of the Bending Behavior of Soft Pneumatic Network Actuator with Hyperelastic Models

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering ٍ University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

Abstract

Soft robots made of hyperelastic materials are widely used in medicine. Designing and analyzing the behavior of soft actuators is challenging due to the nonlinear nature of hyperelastic materials. This study examines the effects of geometrical parameters including the wall thickness, the distance between the chambers, the layer’s thickness, the side walls thickness, the cross-section shape, the material of the actuator on the bending behavior, the created stresses in the inner walls and the resulting tip force to obtain the optimal geometry and material to create the maximum bending angle and tip force of the actuator. For modeling the common materials behavior of soft actuators such as Dragon Skin 30, TPU, Ecoflex30, and RTV2, five Hyperelastic model predictions are compared with the uniaxial stress-strain test on these materials, and the best model is selected to simulate each material. The results show that, by reducing the thickness of the walls, the distance between the chambers, and the lower layer’s thickness, and using the square cross-section with RTV2, the actuator's maximum bending angle was achieved. However, by increasing the thickness of the walls, the number of chambers, and the thickness of the lower layers, and using DS30, the maximum tip force was achieved.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Amirkabir Journal of Mechanical Engineering
Volume 55, Issue 8
November 2023
Pages 1021-1042

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