Abstract
In this paper, we present a theoretical study about the effect of viscoelasticity on the electromechanical performance of a dielectric elastomer (DE) balloon. The thermodynamic dissipative model is given and the equation of motion is deduced by a free-energy method. It is found that when the balloon is only subject to the pressure or a static voltage, it may reach a state of equilibrium after the viscoelastic relaxation. When the static voltage exceeds a certain value, the balloon will never reach the equilibrium and be in failure eventually. When the voltage is sinusoidal, the balloon will resonate at multiple frequencies. The study result indicates that the natural frequency is independent on the viscoelasticity. However, the presence of viscoelasticity can reduce the amplitude and increase the mean stretch of the DE.
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