A series of isometric,radially expanding tubular units,made of dielectric elastomer with compliant electrodes,constitute a soft linear peristaltic pump with distributed actuation for transport of incompressible fluids.Based on the Gent strain energy model,this paper theoretically analyzes the homogeneous large deformation of the peristaltic unit.We discuss the effects of axial prestretch on the actuation of the actuator.We then predict the maximum actuation strain of this actuator which is limited by dielectric strength of the polymer.The results presented here extend the previous study based on linear elasticity,and can predict the electromechanical behaviors of the novel actuator at large deformations.
A dielectric elastomer is capable of large voltage-induced deformation,particularly when the voltage is applied on the verge of snap-through instability.A model is described which shows that the snap-through instability is markedly affected by both the extension limit of polymer chains and the polarization saturation of dipoles.The model may guide the search for high-performance dielectric elastomer transducers.
