Theoretical modelling and experimental results of electromechanical actuation of an elastomer

Electromechanical actuation is a growing field of research today both for applications or theoretical modelling. The interaction between electric and mechanical constraints has been used for electromechanic actuators or generators based on elastomers. From a theoretical point of view, many recent works have been focused on uniaxial or biaxial stretching of elastomer plates with compliant electrodes. Free stretching or pre-strained samples have been theoretically modelled, mainly by neo-Hookean equations. In this work, we present theoretical and experimental results of electromechanic actuation of an elastomer (the widely used 3M VHB4910, an acrylic foam) in a pre-strained case and a free case. Experimental characterization of the material shows that the Ogden model gives the best accurate fitting of mechanical properties. Thus, a theoretical development based on this model is carried out in order to obtain the curves describing the electromechanical behaviour of the material. The mechanical instability related to wrinkling of the material is theoretically calculated and experimentally verified.