Behavior Identification of Silicone-Ethanol Soft Actuator Based on Statistical Analysis

Abstract

Silicone-ethanol actuator is a new type of artificial muscle that expands and contracts based on the switching of the ethanol phase between liquid and gas states within the elastomeric matrix. However, there is a lack of accurate ranking of the parameters that affect its performance. This research uses cutting-edge statistical and qualitative methods to rank the behavioral characteristics of this actuator. In this research, the effect of the power intensity on the performance and structural changes of the silicone-ethanol actuator is investigated, for the first time. It is found that the use of more intense power increased the response speed of the actuator, but also intensifies its structural damage. Also, the results show that energy and temperature are the most crucial variables in predicting the dynamic behavior of the silicone-ethanol actuator while ethanol content and applied power are the most important functional characteristics in the long term. It is hoped that this scientific approach will be leveraged to distinguish real from dummy behavioral indices of the other newfound smart materials, where there is no complete knowledge of their governing physical and chemical equations.