Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

Actuator Material

Drive

Applied voltage V 0.0 kV

Film thickness t₀ 60 µm

Mechanical bias load 0 kPa

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⚠ Field exceeds dielectric breakdown — actuator would puncture.

Field E

0.0 MV/m

Maxwell p

0.0 kPa

Area actuation strain

0.0 %

Thickness t

60.0 µm

Radius r / r₀

1.000

How it works

A dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) is a soft rubber film sandwiched between two compliant electrodes. Applying voltage V across the thickness t creates a field E = V / t. Opposite charges on the two electrodes attract, generating a compressive electrostatic (Maxwell) pressure on the film:

E = V / t
p = ε₀ εᵣ E²          (Maxwell stress, ε₀ = 8.854×10⁻¹² F/m)

The film resists with its elastic modulus Y. For small strain the net compressive pressure (Maxwell stress minus any external bias load) produces a thickness strain, and — because rubber is nearly incompressible (Poisson's ratio ≈ 0.5) — that lost thickness has to go somewhere, so the film bulges outward in area:

s_z   = max(0, p − p_bias) / Y      (thickness compression)
t     = t₀ (1 − s_z)
s_lin = (1 − s_z)^(−1/2) − 1        (incompressibility)
r     = r₀ (1 + s_lin)              (radial expansion)

Material — swaps permittivity εᵣ and elastic modulus Y between three real actuator materials.
Voltage — the drive signal; pressure grows with the square of the field, so actuation is highly nonlinear.
Film thickness — thinner films reach the same field E at lower voltage, but are more fragile.
Bias load — an external mechanical load (e.g. a spring or payload) that the actuator has to overcome before it can expand.

Real DEAs (used in soft robotics, haptics and loudspeakers) reach 10–100+ MV/m before dielectric breakdown, which is why film thickness and material choice both matter for a working design.

Elastomer film Compliant electrodes Surface charge

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