Fully Coupled Electromechanical Model for Dielectric Elastomer Sheets

This paper presents the results of a fully coupled nonlinear electromechanical model for corrugated dielectric elastomer sheets currently used in the design of commercially available actuators. We investigate the dependence of the actuation characteristics on the thickness of the sheets and the shape and size of the corrugations for different applied voltages. We furthermore compare the fully coupled model with two simplified models. Based on this comparison, we give guideline for when the simplified models are sufficient, when they break down, and what error they introduce.