Modeling Approach for the Electrodynamics of Multilayer DE Stack-Transducers

In most cases the electrical behavior of dielectric elastomer (DE) transducers is modeled by an equivalent circuit with lumped electrical parameters. Here, the capacitance is obtained under consideration of the active area of the whole DE transducer, while additional parallel and series resistances model the losses in the dielectric and the electrode respectively. Since this represents a quite simple modeling approach it is very common. However, in general a DE transducer has a certain spatial distribution depending on the design of the considered transducer. Thus, a model with lumped parameters might be inaccurate and does not take into account the field-distribution within the DE transducer. Since no analytical expression of the field-distribution can be derived by solving the partial differential equations for diagonal-edge contacts, within this contribution an electrical network model for a multilayer DE stack-transducer is presented. This model takes into account the influence of the contacting of each single transducer film as well as the electrical interaction of these films and their spatial distribution. Based on this model the influence of different design parameters can be investigated, resulting in design rules for the considered transducers with both optimized transient and static behavior.