Description and characterization of an electroactive polymer synthetic jet actuator

Geoff A. Slipher; James E. Hubbard Jr.

doi:10.1117/12.714144

4 April 2007 Description and characterization of an electroactive polymer synthetic jet actuator

Geoff A. Slipher, James E. Hubbard Jr.

Proceedings Volume 6524, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2007; 65240I (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.714144
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2007, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The objective of this research was to describe and characterize the performance of an innovative new method of actuating a synthetic jet. This particular method utilizes a pre-strained dielectric elastomer membrane excited to operate at resonance. The paper describes the mechanism by which the actuator operates, the experimental techniques used to characterize it and discusses the results of the characterization. A series of experiments were devised to capture the influence of specific device parameters on the actuator system performance. The device parameters considered were: chamber volume, orifice diameter, orifice length, electrode area, excitation frequency, and excitation amplitude. Six metrics were collected for each of the tests: membrane displacement, chamber pressure, exit velocity, auditory signal, supply voltage, and supply current. Based on the cases tested, peak attainable orifice velocity was experimentally determined to be approximately 17 m/s, though the authors believe this can be significantly increased. Basic system design guidelines were also determined, and directions for future work have been identified.

Citation Download Citation

Geoff A. Slipher and James E. Hubbard Jr. "Description and characterization of an electroactive polymer synthetic jet actuator", Proc. SPIE 6524, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2007, 65240I (4 April 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.714144

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