Analytical Modelling of Dielectric Polymer Actuators

Abstract

This report presents a literature review on the modeling of dielectric polymer actuators (DPA). The principle of actuation of these actuators and the underlying physics of dielectrics is exposed in order to introduce all the sources of difficulty responsible for the complex behaviour of DPAs. A variational formulation is proposed to model the behaviour of DPA, based on the variation of the dielectric enthalpy and on the virtual work of the nonconservative part of the electric displacement. A finite element method is developed, based on this formulation. A reverse mapping requirement is raised that limits the type of element that can be used. An example of a possible implementation is presented for the case of a linear tetrahedron. Finally, DPA modeling challenges are summarized and recommendations are made for future work.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA609247

Entities

People

  • Olivier Beslin

Organizations

  • MDA Ltd.

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Classification
  • Dielectric Permittivity
  • Dielectric Polymers
  • Dielectric Properties
  • Dielectrics
  • Dynamic Loads
  • Electric Fields
  • Electromagnetic Fields
  • Finite Element Analysis
  • Materials
  • Molecules
  • National Security
  • Polymeric Films
  • Polymers
  • Security
  • Static Loads
  • Voltage

Readers

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Systems Analysis and Design