Modeling dynamic swelling of polymer-based artificial muscles

Bowen, Shefik Derm; Hallinan, Daniel T.

doi:10.1039/d2sm00021k

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 61 publications

(101 reference statements)

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“…The influence of preparation conditions and actuation loads on the actuation stroke of TCP muscles was investigated, guiding the optimization design of TCP muscles. Bowen and Hallinan [24] simulated the transient swelling of a polymeric network driven by diffusion and migration, which quantifies the benefit of anisotropic swelling and constant modulus. Recently, Xiao et al [25] modeled the thermal actuation processes by numerical simulations and evaluated the work output and energy conversion efficiency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new model of thermo-mechanical actuation for twisted and coiled polymer muscles with initial curvature

Liu,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Smart Mater. Struct.

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The twisted and coiled polymer (TCP) artificial muscle is one type of novel soft actuator for mimicking natural skeletal muscle that can provide large linear and torsional actuation and energy density. Twisting and coiling are the pivotal steps in fabricating TCP muscles. The influence of twisting on the actuation response of TCP muscles has been extensively investigated recently. However, the influence of coiling remains unclear. Based on the finite strain theory, we establish a new thermo-mechanical actuation model for TCP muscles with initial curvature. The theoretical predictions based on the model align well with the finite element simulations, accurately capturing the actuation response of thermally-activated TCP muscles. It is revealed that twisting contributes positively to the actuation, while coiling has a passive effect. Geometrical parameters, such as the helix radius and helix angle, can effectively regulate the actuation performance of TCP muscles. Furthermore, an optimal bias angle is identified that maximizes both the recovery torque and the linear actuation. This study sheds light on the structural optimization design of TCP muscles.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%