Analysis of multilayer electro-active tubes under different constraints

TL;DR

This paper develops a nonlinear electro-elasticity model to analyze the electromechanical behavior of multilayer dielectric tubes with soft coatings, considering various constraints and layer properties.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive three-layer model for multilayer electro-active tubes, accounting for material heterogeneity and interaction effects, advancing the understanding of their response under different conditions.

Findings

Soft coating layers significantly influence the electromechanical response.

Layer properties and constraints alter the deformation behavior.

Numerical results highlight the importance of multilayer interactions.

Abstract

Dielectric elastomers are an emerging class of highly deformable electro-active materials employed for electromechanical transduction technology. For practical applications, the design of such transducers requires a model accounting for insulation of the active membrane, non-perfectly compliant behaviour of the electrodes or interaction of the transducer with a soft actuated body. To this end, a three-layer model, in which the active membrane is embedded between two soft passive layers, can be formulated. In this paper, the theory of nonlinear electro-elasticity for heterogeneous soft dielectrics is used to investigate the electromechanical response of multilayer electro-active tubes---formed either by the active membrane only (single-layer tube) or by the coated active membrane (multilayer tube). Numerical results showing the influence of the mechanical and the geometrical properties of the soft coating layers on the electromechanical response of the active membrane are presented for different constraint conditions.