Abstract
The article is devoted to the development and creation of a multiphysics simulator that can, on the one hand, simulate the most significant physical processes in the IPMC actuator, and on the other hand, unlike commercial products such as COMSOL, can use computing resources economically. The developed mathematical model is an adjoint differential equation describing the transport of charged particles and water molecules in the ion-exchange membrane, the electrostatic field inside, and the mechanical deformation of the actuator. The distribution of the electrostatic potential in the interelectrode space is located by means of the solution of the Poisson equation with the Dirichlet boundary conditions, where the charge density is a function of the concentration of cations inside the membrane. The cation distribution was obtained by means of the solution of the equation system, in which the fluxes of ions and water molecules are described by the modified Nernst-Planck equations with boundary conditions of the third kind (the Robin problem). The cantilever beam forced oscillation equation in the presence of resistance (allowing for dissipative processes) with assumptions of elasticity theory was used to describe the actuator motion. A combination of the following computational methods was used as a numerical algorithm for the solution: the Poisson equation was solved by a direct method, the modified Nernst-Planck equations were solved by the Newton-Raphson method, and the mechanical oscillation equation was solved using an explicit scheme. For this model, a difference scheme has been created and an algorithm has been described, which can be implemented in any programming language and allows for fast computational experiments. On the basis of the created algorithm and with the help of the obtained experimental data, a program has been created and the verification of the difference scheme and the algorithm has been performed. Model parameters have been determined, and recommendations on the ranges of applicability of the algorithm and the program have been given.
Highlights
The development of propulsors for industrial and medical microrobots is an urgent task
A combination of the following computational methods was used as a numerical algorithm for the solution: the Poisson equation was solved by a direct method, the modified Nernst-Planck equations were solved by the Newton-Raphson method, and the mechanical oscillation equation was solved using an explicit scheme
Taking into account the complex nature of non-stationary processes in the considered ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) actuator, the developed mathematical model of the actuator is based on the thermodynamic theory of irreversible processes and includes the modified Nernst-Planck equations [15], the Poisson equation [17] and the mechanical oscillation equation of a cantilever beam with a fixed end [18,19]
Summary
The development of propulsors for industrial and medical microrobots is an urgent task. In [10], the authors presented the IPMC electromechanical reaction model, based on the electrostatic forces of attraction/repulsion in the IPMC, to predict the behavior of actuators, in particular, to explain the relaxation of the IPMC. These models can predict the bending behavior of the IPMC with a sufficient degree of accuracy, but they require many predetermined physicochemical properties that are measured in experiments. A combination of the following computational methods was used as a numerical algorithm for the solution: the Poisson equation was solved by a direct method, the modified Nernst-Planck equations were solved by the Newton-Raphson method, and the mechanical oscillation equation was solved using an explicit scheme
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