Novel High-Cycle-Life Soft Actuator Using Silicon Elastomer Matrix and Ethanol

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

• Hojat Zamyad ¹
• Amirhossein Ebrahimi ²
• Samane Sahebian ²
• Jvad Safaie ³

¹ Department of electronic engineering, ferdowsi university of mashhad, mashhad, iran

² Department of materials and metallurgy engineering, ferdowsi university of mashhad, mashhad, iran

³ Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

10.22067/jmme.2021.69788.1012

Abstract

The application of conventional actuators such as hydraulic and pneumatic motors and artificial muscles is limited in many areas due to their heavy weight, large dimensions, and excessive noise. In recent years, many researchers and scientists have conducted extensive research to introduce a new generation of smart, inexpensive, small, and lightweight operators. In this research, a soft robot with a fast response, using a polymer composite with silicon matrix and ethanol as a phase-changing fluid (secondary phase), was made. Its kinetic behavior and temperature response under several periods and working cycles were investigated. Due to the electrical actuation and the internal pressure created inside the microcapsules containing ethanol, which are randomly distributed in the composite matrix, at the ethanol phase change's temperature, the mechanical force required to move the soft robot is provided. The evaluation of soft robot dynamic operation showed optimal response on the first and second working days (8.55 and 6.2mm of displacement, respectively). Also, the external and internal temperature of the composite indicates the temperature stability of the material, which respectively reached a maximum of 48 and 81°C. Also, at the end of the actuation period on the seventh day, the material had about 11% weight reduction due to ethanol loss, which indicates the desirable performance of the composite in terms of storage and retention of the phase-changing fluid.

Keywords

• Soft robot
• Dynamic operation
• Phase change fluid
• Silicon
• Ethanol

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