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Analysis of a viscous soft dielectric elastomer generator operating in an electrical circuit |
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| Authors: | Eliana Bortot Ralf Denzer Andreas Menzel Massimiliano Gei |
| Institution: | 1. Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy;2. Institute of Mechanics, TU Dortmund, Leonhard-Euler-Str. 5, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany;3. Institute of Mechanics, TU Dortmund, Leonhard-Euler-Str. 5, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany
Division of Solid Mechanics, Lund University, P.O. Box 118, S-22100 Lund, Sweden |
| Abstract: | Dielectric Elastomer Generators (DEGs) are able to convert mechanical work into electric energy. A soft dielectric elastomer generator can be modelled as a strain-dependent variable capacitor undergoing large viscoelastic deformation. In this work we analyze an electrical circuit for energy harvesting in which the DEG is stretched periodically by a source of mechanical work. Since these devices undergo a high number of electro-mechanical loading cycles at large deformation, it turns out that viscous effects must be carefully taken into account as they strongly affect the generator performance. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) |
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