Connectivity Constraints Ensuring Continuous Electrodes in Topology Optimization of Electroactive Polymer

Electroactive polymers (EAPs) deform when subject to an electric field, which is generated by two or more electrodes. To ensure proper function of the EAP, these electrodes are connected to a source and they are therefore required to be continuous such that no isolated islands exist. Increasing an EAP's performance using topology optimization while ensuring electrode connectivity is the goal of this work. A topology optimization formulation is introduced where electrode connectivity is ensured using the virtual temperature method. Numerical experiments demonstrate that this is an efficient method to guarantee connectivity.