Artificial Muscle Technology: Physical Principles and Naval Prospects
Abstract
Understanding of the advantages of unsteady flow and locomotion in fish and insects is creating a demand for biomimetic actuator technologies. New actuator materials that employ voltage, field, or temperature driven dimensional changes to produce forces and displacements are suggesting new approaches to propulsion and maneuverability. The fundamental properties of these new materials are presented, and examples of potential undersea applications are examined to assist those involved in hydrodynamic design and actuator research evaluate the current status and the developing potential of these artificial muscle technologies. The technologies described are based on newly explored materials developed over the past decade, and also on older materials whose properties are not widely known. The materials are dielectric elastomers, ferroelectric polymers, liquid crystal elastomers, molecular actuators, giant magnetostrictive materials, thermal and ferromagnetic shape memory alloys, ionic polymer/metal composites, conducting polymers, and carbon nanotubes. All the technologies involve materials that change dimensions in response to input electrical, thermal, or optical power. A table of the mechanical properties of mammalian skeletal muscle is presented for comparison with the properties of each of the materials described. The properties are maximum strain, maximum stress, work density, density, peak strain rate, power to mass, bandwidth, life cycle, coupling, efficiency, modulus of elasticity, speed of sound, coefficient of thermal expansion, strength, voltage, charge, and maximum field. Fundamental mechanisms, basic properties, synthesis, fabrication, and applications are presented. The paper concludes with two case studies presenting the best artificial muscle technologies for a variable camber propeller and for increasing thrust by generating unsteady flow conditions when used with a REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) propeller. (13 tables, 3 figures, 125 refs7
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 04, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA418610
Entities
People
- Arash Takshi
- Ian W. Hunter
- John D. Madden
- Nate Vandesteeg
- Peter G. Madden
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology