Lightweight mechanical amplifiers for rolled dielectric elastomer actuators and their integration with bio-inspired wing flappers
Lightweight mechanical amplifiers for rolled dielectric elastomer actuators and their integration with bio-inspired wing flappers
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DOI：
10.1088/0964-1726/23/2/025021
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发表时间：
2014-02-01
影响因子：
4.1
通讯作者：
Chin, Yao-Wei
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Lau, Gih-Keong;Lim, Hoong-Ta;Chin, Yao-Wei
在仿生扑翼机器人中，介电弹性体作动器(DEAS)具有较高的工作密度(比能量)和较大的致动应变，因此受到广泛的关注。尽管电介质弹性体的活性膜很轻，但预紧弹性体膜的支撑结构很大，从而降低了整体工作密度。如果DEA要成功地用于驱动扑翼机器人，其支撑结构必须尽可能轻量化。在这项工作中，我们设计、分析和开发了一种轻质壳体，使用碳纤维增强聚合物(CFRP)的交叉叠层来预应变滚动的DEA。CFRP壳体的重量占整个DEA组件总质量的24.3%，同时为滚动的DEA(BJB-5005硅橡胶)提供高达35.0%的轴向预应变。对于BJB-TC5005膜，在33.5 mV m(-1)下，使用CFRP壳层的DEA组件达到了理论功密度的30.9%。相比之下，具有巨大弹簧芯的弹簧卷的总功密度仅为最大值的10%-20%。此外，这种CFRP壳体可以将DEA的轴向行程放大为更大的横向壳体变形。有了这些变形特性，这种碳纤维壳和一个滚动的DEA被成功地与昆虫启发的胸部机构集成在一起，并被证明是可行的，用于驱动扑翼。
Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are attractive for use in bio-inspired flapping-wing robots because they have high work density (specific energy) and can produce a large actuation strain. Although the active membrane of a dielectric elastomer is lightweight, the support structure that pre-tensions the elastomeric membrane is massive and it lowers the overall work density. If the DEA is to be used successfully to drive flapping-wing robots, its support structure must be as lightweight as possible. In this work, we designed, analysed, and developed a lightweight shell using a cross-ply laminate of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) to pre-strain a rolled DEA. The CFRP shell was shown to weigh 24.3% of the total mass for the whole DEA assembly, while providing up to 35.0% axial pre-strain to a rolled DEA (BJB-5005 silicone rubber). This DEA assembly using the CFRP shell achieved 30.9% of the theoretical work density for a BJB-TC5005 membrane at 33.5 MV m(-1). In comparison, spring rolls with a massive spring core were reported with overall work density merely 10-20% of the maximum value. Furthermore, this CFRP shell can amplify an axial DEA stroke into a larger transverse shell deformation. With these deformation characteristics, this CFRP shell and a rolled DEA were successfully integrated with an insect-inspired thoracic mechanism and they were shown to be feasible to drive it for a flapping wing.