Design and Analysis of Mechanical Characteristics of EAP Flexible Drivers

Electroactive polymer(EAP) is a “smart material” with high energy density, high electromechanical energy conversion efficiency, simple structure, good adaptability to the working environment, etc. It can be made into various shapes to realize flexible drivers. At present, the common EAP actuator is mainly composed of EAP film wound on a spring, and the output performance of this type of actuator is related to the spring stiffness, film prestretching rate, voltage, and other factors. Its working process is actually an electromechanical coupling process. In this paper, two types of cylindrical actuators are designed and tested. The electromechanical coupling mathematical model is constructed to simulate the driver. According to the experimental and simulation results, the relationship between the output displacement and elongation strain of EAP actuator and voltage, spring stiffness, and tensile rate is analyzed. It provides a reference and basis for the design of similar actuators.