Dynamic analysis of PVC gel actuators considering viscoelastic damping: Coupled electromechanical mechanism and nonlinear vibrational behavior

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel is a kind of soft, intelligent material with high deformability. The stress effect after stimulation by electrical signals is similar to the phenomenon of biological muscle contraction. It has important application prospects in the development of flexible actuators and s...

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Main Authors: Yang Xiao, Bin Luo, Hanjing Lu, Xue Wen, Zhigang Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIP Publishing LLC 2025-03-01
Series:AIP Advances
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0248345
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author Yang Xiao
Bin Luo
Hanjing Lu
Xue Wen
Zhigang Chen
author_facet Yang Xiao
Bin Luo
Hanjing Lu
Xue Wen
Zhigang Chen
author_sort Yang Xiao
collection DOAJ
description Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel is a kind of soft, intelligent material with high deformability. The stress effect after stimulation by electrical signals is similar to the phenomenon of biological muscle contraction. It has important application prospects in the development of flexible actuators and soft robots. However, the influence of viscoelasticity on the nonlinear dynamic behavior of the PVC gel actuator has not been explored. The viscous damping effect caused by the inherent viscoelasticity of PVC gel has a significant effect on the nonlinear dynamic behavior of PVC gel. In this study, considering the influence of viscous damping force on PVC gel, aiming at the electromechanical coupling mechanism of PVC gel actuator vibration, a nonlinear dynamic mathematical model of PVC gel actuator vibration combined with a viscous damping effect was established, and the numerical solution was obtained by the Runge–Kutta method. The dynamic responses of PVC gel actuators with and without damping were compared and analyzed. The results show that in the undamped state, harmonic resonance occurs in the PVC gel actuator; moreover, sub-harmonic resonance and super-harmonic resonance occur at the same time. In the case of damping, damping force, voltage amplitude, prestress, and ultimate tension have an effect on the vibration of the PVC gel actuator. The dynamic stability and periodicity of the PVC gel actuator were studied by means of phase paths, Poincaré maps, bifurcation, and Lyapunov exponent. At the same time, the resonance characteristics of the PVC gel actuator under various parameters were also analyzed. This study lays a theoretical foundation for the application of PVC gel in the field of flexible drive.
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spelling doaj-art-b6eb3665b8c1481ea24d9b5cb40f94fc2025-08-20T01:55:49ZengAIP Publishing LLCAIP Advances2158-32262025-03-01153035051035051-1810.1063/5.0248345Dynamic analysis of PVC gel actuators considering viscoelastic damping: Coupled electromechanical mechanism and nonlinear vibrational behaviorYang Xiao0Bin Luo1Hanjing Lu2Xue Wen3Zhigang Chen4Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Efficient Power System and Intelligent Manufacturing, College of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Shaoyang University, Shaoyang 422000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Hunan Province for Efficient Power System and Intelligent Manufacturing, College of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Shaoyang University, Shaoyang 422000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Hunan Province for Efficient Power System and Intelligent Manufacturing, College of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Shaoyang University, Shaoyang 422000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Hunan Province for Efficient Power System and Intelligent Manufacturing, College of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Shaoyang University, Shaoyang 422000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Hunan Province for Efficient Power System and Intelligent Manufacturing, College of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Shaoyang University, Shaoyang 422000, ChinaPolyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel is a kind of soft, intelligent material with high deformability. The stress effect after stimulation by electrical signals is similar to the phenomenon of biological muscle contraction. It has important application prospects in the development of flexible actuators and soft robots. However, the influence of viscoelasticity on the nonlinear dynamic behavior of the PVC gel actuator has not been explored. The viscous damping effect caused by the inherent viscoelasticity of PVC gel has a significant effect on the nonlinear dynamic behavior of PVC gel. In this study, considering the influence of viscous damping force on PVC gel, aiming at the electromechanical coupling mechanism of PVC gel actuator vibration, a nonlinear dynamic mathematical model of PVC gel actuator vibration combined with a viscous damping effect was established, and the numerical solution was obtained by the Runge–Kutta method. The dynamic responses of PVC gel actuators with and without damping were compared and analyzed. The results show that in the undamped state, harmonic resonance occurs in the PVC gel actuator; moreover, sub-harmonic resonance and super-harmonic resonance occur at the same time. In the case of damping, damping force, voltage amplitude, prestress, and ultimate tension have an effect on the vibration of the PVC gel actuator. The dynamic stability and periodicity of the PVC gel actuator were studied by means of phase paths, Poincaré maps, bifurcation, and Lyapunov exponent. At the same time, the resonance characteristics of the PVC gel actuator under various parameters were also analyzed. This study lays a theoretical foundation for the application of PVC gel in the field of flexible drive.http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0248345
spellingShingle Yang Xiao
Bin Luo
Hanjing Lu
Xue Wen
Zhigang Chen
Dynamic analysis of PVC gel actuators considering viscoelastic damping: Coupled electromechanical mechanism and nonlinear vibrational behavior
AIP Advances
title Dynamic analysis of PVC gel actuators considering viscoelastic damping: Coupled electromechanical mechanism and nonlinear vibrational behavior
title_full Dynamic analysis of PVC gel actuators considering viscoelastic damping: Coupled electromechanical mechanism and nonlinear vibrational behavior
title_fullStr Dynamic analysis of PVC gel actuators considering viscoelastic damping: Coupled electromechanical mechanism and nonlinear vibrational behavior
title_full_unstemmed Dynamic analysis of PVC gel actuators considering viscoelastic damping: Coupled electromechanical mechanism and nonlinear vibrational behavior
title_short Dynamic analysis of PVC gel actuators considering viscoelastic damping: Coupled electromechanical mechanism and nonlinear vibrational behavior
title_sort dynamic analysis of pvc gel actuators considering viscoelastic damping coupled electromechanical mechanism and nonlinear vibrational behavior
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0248345
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