Design of dielectric elastomer actuator using topology optimization method based on genetic algorithm

Dielectric elastomers (DEs) show great promise in the field of actuation technologies and have attracted much interest recently. Owing to their outstanding electromechanical performance, varieties of DE actuators (DEAs) have been designed. As most of them are concept designs, they may be limited by the experience and imagination of the designers. In this article, the design problem of DEAs is investigated using topology optimization method to find out the optimal electrode distribution. Theoretical modeling and optimization procedure are presented, followed by the discussion of the problems of holes and disconnection during the optimization process. Then three DEAs are designed. Experiments and finite element simulations are taken where the experimental results agree well with the simulations, which shows the efficiency of the optimization algorithm.