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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Weicheng Huang
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© 2026 Elsevier LtdDielectric elastomers (DEs), as the electroactive materials with large deformation, high compliance, and high energy density, have been widely applied in soft robotics and soft actuators. Multilayer dielectric elastomer bending actuators, as a representative type of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), can exhibit large deformation and dynamic responses under external electric-field excitation. Accurate and efficient theoretical modeling is therefore essential for their structural design and motion control. However, existing electromechanical models for multilayer DEAs often rely on assumptions of uniform curvature and inextensible arc length during bending deformation. To address this limitation, this study proposes a discrete planar beam (DPB)-based electromechanical model for multilayer DEAs within the discrete differential geometry (DDG) framework. The proposed model captures the coupled effects of bending, stretching, gravitational loading, and electric-field-induced actuation in a unified discrete framework. The quasi-static equilibrium equation and dynamic governing equation are established, and the nonlinear response of the system is solved to obtain the configuration evolution and static-dynamic response characteristics. Then, comparative validation against reference static and dynamic results demonstrates the validity of the proposed DPB model. Finally, several numerical cases are conducted to investigate the effects of input voltage, actuator structural parameters, and boundary motion on the output response. The results demonstrate that the proposed model can effectively describe the nonlinear deformation and static-dynamic responses of multilayer DEAs under complex loading and boundary conditions, which is able to provide a theoretical basis for configuration design, parameter optimization, and control strategy development of multilayer dielectric elastomer bending actuators.
Author(s): Yang Y, Huang W, Chen W, Ai C
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Thin-Walled Structures
Year: 2026
Volume: 231
Issue: Part B
Online publication date: 29/07/2026
Acceptance date: 29/07/2026
ISSN (print): 0263-8231
ISSN (electronic): 1879-3223
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2026.115455
DOI: 10.1016/j.tws.2026.115455
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