Modelling and testing of a dielectic electro-active polymer (DEAP) actuator for active vibration control

Passive vibration absorbers are really effective only at the tuned frequency. This limit is overcome by adaptive absorbers which offer the possibility to adjust their behaviour according to needs. The paper focuses on a smart actuator for vibration control made up by a dielectric electro-active polymer (DEAP). The DEAP is obtained constraining a silicone corrugated sheet between two silver layers and it is manufactured by Danfoss Polypower A/S. The actuator is fabricated by rolling the DEAP sheet in a cylindrical and core-free shape. The paper describes the static and dynamic characterizations of the actuator. A theoretical model is developed by considering the actuator as a multi-elements model. Moreover, a modal test of the actuator is performed driving it with an electro-dynamic shaker in a frequency range up to 1 kHz. A good agreement between theoretical and experimental data is obtained at lower frequencies. Stiffness and damping laws of the actuator are determined by fitting theoretical expectations and test results. The actuator is proved useful for controlling vibrations at low frequencies because it shows internal resonances at frequencies above 75 Hz. Finally, first results about the use of the DEAP actuator for vibration control of harmonic excitations in a band-limited frequency range below 10 Hz are reported. © 2013 The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.