Research on the Effect of Pre-stretch on the Dynamic Performance of Dielectric Elastomer Minimum Energy Structure

Abstract Dielectric Elastomer Minimum Energy Structures (DEMES) have the ability of actively adjusting their shape to accommodate complex scenarios, which has rendered them a focus of research in the field of soft robotics. Understanding the actuation mechanism of DEMES is essential for their effective design and control. In this paper, a systematic and comprehensive modelling framework with integrated consideration of environmental factors, pre-stretch and viscoelasticity is established. The dynamic governing equations of DEMES affected by pre-stretch and temperature are constructed by combining the viscoelastic rheological model and the Euler-Lagrange equation. The effects of the coupled pre-stretch and temperature on the equilibrium state of DEMES and the evolution law of electromechanical response to voltage excitation are analyzed. The results show that pre-stretch and temperature can modulate the bending angle of DEMES and the non-elastic stretch of DE. By analyzing the tendency of DEMES electromechanical performance with the variations of pre-stretch and temperature, it can be concluded that the suitable parameters can significantly improve the dynamic performance as well as the stability of DEMES. This can provide theoretical guidance for the design and deformation control of DEMES.