A Simple Dynamic Characterization Method for Thin Stacked Dielectric Elastomer Actuators by Suspending a Weight in Air and Electrical Excitation

Abstract

This paper proposes a simple but effective method for characterizing dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), especially for thin stacked DEAs, which are promising for haptic devices but which measure the dynamic elastic modulus with great difficulty. The difficulty of the measurement of such a thin stacked DEA arises from the friction and local deformation of the surface between the DEA and a contact, as shown in this paper. In the proposed method, a DEA is vertically suspended and a weight is attached to it. The proposed method requires no contact with the surface of a DEA and uses only a weighting mass. Experimental results demonstrated the proposed method can estimate almost essential constants, such as the dynamic elastic modulus (Young’s modulus and damping time constant), the electrical constants (permittivity and resistivity), and the coefficient of electromechanical coupling, through the forced vibration induced by voltage actuation.