Electroactive Polymer Devices for Active Vibration Damping

Dielectric elastomer generators can be used as continuously controllable damping devices, by using e. g. a design with two single circular devices, clamped on the upside and downside of a rigid pipe and mechanically mounted in series with a piston inside the rigid pipe. In case of a mechanical excitation of the piston through the vibrating surface, one of the generators is stretched, while the other contracts and vice versa respectively. By using an appropriate concept for charging and discharging, the controllable damper can then be used for vibration isolation. These concepts are evaluated by simulation results with the two generator concept.