Influence of the electrode on the actuation of thin-film DE transducers

In this contribution, an analytical modeling approach to describe the influence of electrodes on the actuation behaviour of DE-transducers is presented and validated by corresponding FE-simulations. As the impact of electrodes has almost been neglected in previous work, our theoretical approach considers the electrode’s dimensions and stiffness with respect to quantities of the elastomeric poly- mer film covered by the electrodes. The analytical modeling is based on energy considerations utilizing hyperelastic models for both, the polymer film and the compliant electrodes and by bal- ancing forces in each direction. The corresponding FE-analysis performed in COMSOL multiphysics validate the analytically obtained results. It turned out that area, thickness and stiffness of the electrodes regarding to the polymer’s quantities have a strong impact of the actuation behaviour of DE-transducers. Obtained results are reflected by published measurements validating our findings.