STM Journals Peer-reviewed research from Consortium e-Learning Network

Journal of Mechatronics and Automation

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Non-linear Vibration Response of an IPMC Actuator Subjected to Alternating Electric Potentialf

  1. Dillip Kumar Biswal
  2. Dibakar Bandopadhya
  3. Santosha Kumar Dwivedy

Abstract

The precise predication of stable and unstable zone for an applied excitation voltage and frequency is of importance in many micromechanical systems utilizing ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) as the actuator. A linear dynamic model thus will no longer be valid for IPMC actuator having low thickness and thus more flexible. In this article, non-linear vibration characteristics of a silver (Ag) based IPMC actuator is studied under alternating electric potential in inextensible condition. The IPMC actuator of silver electrode is fabricated first using Nafion as the base polymer following the chemical decomposition method. A theoretical model of motion has been derived using experimental bending data and following the D’Alembert’s principle that describes the nonlinear vibration characteristics of the actuator. Generalized Galerkin’s method is then utilized to discretize the equation of motion. Method of Multiple Scales has been used to solve the non-linear equation of motion. Simulations have been performed taking into account the experimental data and by solving the temporal equation of motion of the system. Several experiments are conducted with an IMPC actuator in fixed-free configuration and vibration response is studied applying the alternating electric potential. Both transient and steady-state response of the system is studied and the theoretical results are validated and correlated with the experimental results.

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