This paper presents an experimental comparison of three different biasing elements utilized to produce out-of-plane actuation for a diaphragm dielectric electro-active polymer (DEAP). A hanging mass, a linear coil spring, and a nonlinear (bistable) mechanism are individually paired with an unloaded DEAP actuator. High voltage (2.5 kV) is applied to the DEAP and the out-of-plane stroke of the DEAP is measured. The actuator stroke is notably different for each bias element. Results show that as the bias element stiffness increases, the actuator stroke decreases. However, the bistable element, when coupled with the DEAP, demonstrated improved actuation in a specific range of DEAP pre-deflection. Not only was the stroke larger for this case, the stroke also did not attenuate at higher voltage frequencies as much as the linear coil spring bias elements. This study demonstrates a promising method for obtaining high performance DEAP actuators in the future.

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This paper presents a modeling approach of an actuator system based on a dielectric electro-active polymer (DEAP) circular membrane mechanically loaded with a mass and a linear spring. The motion is generated by the deformation of the membrane caused by the electrostatic compressive force between two compliant electrodes applied on the surface of the polymer. A mass and a linear spring are used to pre-load the membrane, allowing stroke in the out-of-plane direction. The development of mathematical models which accurately describe the nonlinear coupling between electrical and mechanical dynamics is a fundamental step in order to design model-based, high-precision position control algorithms operating in high-frequency regimes (up to 150 Hz). The knowledge of the nonlinear electrical dynamics of the actuator driving circuit can be exploited during the control system design in order to achieve desirable features, such as higher modeling accuracy for high-frequency actuation, self-sensing or control energy minimization. This work proposes a physical model of the DEAP actuator system which couples both electrical and mechanical dynamics occurring during the actuation process. By means of numerous experiments, it is shown that the model can be used to predict both actuator current and displacement, and therefore to increase the overall displacement prediction accuracy with respect to actuator models which neglect electrical behavior.

Dielectric electro-active polymers (DEAPs) can achieve substantial deformation (>300% strain) while sustaining, compared to their ionic counterparts, large forces. This makes them attractive for various actuation and sensing applications such as in light weight and energy efficient valve and pumping systems. Many applications operate DEAP actuators at higher frequencies where rate-dependent effects influence their performance. This motivates the seeking of dynamic characterization of these actuators beyond the quasi-static regime. This paper provides a systematic experimental investigation of the quasi-static and dynamic electromechanical properties of a DEAP actuator. In order to completely characterize the fully coupled behavior, force versus displacement measurements at various constant voltages and force versus voltage measurements at various fixed displacements are conducted. The experiments are conducted with a particular focus on the hysteretic and rate-dependent material behavior. These experiments provide insight into the electrical dynamics and viscoelastic relaxation inherent in DEAP actuators. This study is intended to provide information, including high frequency performance analysis, useful to anyone designing dynamic actuator systems using DEAPs.

This paper describes a sensorless control algorithm for a positioning system based on a dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA). The voltage applied to the membrane and the resulting current can be measured during the actuation and used to estimate its displacement, i.e., to perform self-sensing. The estimated displacement can be then used as a feedback signal for a position control algorithm, which results in a compact device capable of operating in closed loop control without the need for additional electromechanical or optical transducers. In this work, a circular DEA preloaded with a bi-stable spring is used as a case of study to validate the proposed control architecture. A comparison of the closed loop performance achieved using an accurate laser displacement sensor for feedback is also provided to better assess the performance limitations of the overall sensorless scheme.