A study of buckling phenomenon in dielectric elastomeric actuator with different potential energy functions

Abstract

The present study deals with the buckling phenomenon modeling in a dome-shaped dielectric elastomeric (DE) actuator used in different aerodynamic and fluid power system applications. The DE actuator is a circular membrane type of actuator, which shows a large out-of-plane axial-symmetric deformation with an electrically induced loading condition. A classical continuum mechanics-based analytical model is developed to predict the electrically induced buckling deformation in the actuator. A detailed parametric study has been performed to see the influence of standard Neo-Hookean and Mooney-Rivlin types of potential energies on the geometrical and physical parameters. The findings show that the present model successfully links the sensitivity of different potential energies concerning the actuator's initial dome height and radius.