Modeling and experimentally parameterizing approach of the viscoelastic material behavior of DE-based transducer materials

Abstract

In general, materials for dielectric elastomer (DE) transducers, i.e. elastomer and electrode materials, are characterized by their electromechanical behavior. Whereas previous works frequently focus on the mechanical characterization of the elastomer material, this contribution deals with the mechanical characterization of two electrode materials, ELASTOSIL ® LR 3162 (EL 3162) and POWERSIL® 466 (PS 466), as well as the elastomer material ELASTOSIL ® 2030 (EL 2030). The mechanical behavior of the elastomer and electrode materials is determined by elastic and viscous properties such as creep and relaxation. In addition, the electrode materials, exhibit a significant rate-independent hysteresis, which is well-known for filled elastomer materials. A material model based on rheological, mechanical elements is introduced to describe these material properties, and experimental investigations are done to perform a parameter identification for the material model. Experimental investigations show a higher Young’s modulus, higher viscous losses, and an additional rate-independent hysteresis for the electrode materials compared to the elastomer material. In conclusion, the impact of the material properties of the electrode materials on the DE-transducer performance by thinning the elastomer film is discussed.