Dynamic modeling of hard-magnetic soft actuators: Unraveling the role of polymer chain entanglements, crosslinks, and finite extensibility

Abstract

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in hard-magnetic soft materials (HMSMs) due to their ability to retain high residual magnetization and undergo large deformations under external magnetic loading. The performance of these materials in the dynamic mode of actuation is significantly influenced by internal properties, such as entanglements, crosslinks, and the finite extensibility of polymer chains. This article presents a theoretical framework for modeling the dynamic behavior of a hard-magnetic soft material-based planar actuator. A physics-based nonaffine material model is utilized to consider the inherent properties of polymer chain networks. The governing equation for dynamic motion is derived using Euler–Lagrange’s equation of motion for conservative systems. The devised dynamic model is utilized to examine the dynamic response, stability, periodicity, and resonance properties of a planar hard-magnetic soft actuator for different values of polymer chain entanglements, crosslinks, and finite extensibility parameters. The Poincaré maps and phase-plane plots are presented to analyze the stability and periodicity of the nonlinear vibrations of the actuator. The results reveal that transitions between aperiodic and quasi-periodic oscillations occur when the density of polymer chain entanglements and cross-linking changes. The findings from the present investigation can serve as an initial step towards the design and manufacturing of remotely controlled actuators for various futuristic applications.