Actuation Behavior of Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic (HASEL) Actuator via Dimensional Analysis

Abstract

Electroactive polymer (EAP) actuators are an example of a novel soft material device that can be used for several applications including artificial muscles and lenses. The field of EAPs can be broken down into a few fields; however, the field that will be discussed in this study is that of Soft Electrohydraulic (SEH or EH) actuators. The device that will specifically be studied is the Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic (HASEL) actuator. The design of the HASEL actuator is simple. There are two compliant films that house a dielectric liquid, and with the application of a voltage potential, there is an output displacement and force. However, the actuation mechanism is more complex, thus there is a need to understand theoretically and experimentally how the actuator works. This study analytically describes the electrode closure and the experimental testing of the actuators. Then, dimensional analysis techniques are used to determine what factors are contributing to the function of the actuator. For this study, eight dimensionless Π groups were found based on the derived analytical equation. These Π groups were determined based on the input voltage, density, viscosity, and elastic modulus of the materials; these were chosen because of their major contribution to the experimental data. The Π groups that are of particular importance are related to the characteristic length, which is directly related to the displacement of the fluid, the fluid velocity, the fluid pressure, and the dielectric constant. From this study, relationships between the output force, the electrostatic contributions, and other parameters were determined. All in all, this type of analysis can provide guidance on the development of high-performance HASEL actuators.