Electro-Thermal model of thermal breakdown in multilayered dielectric elastomers

Energy transduction of dielectric elastomers involves minute electrical and mechanical losses, both of which potentially increase the temperature within the elastomer. Thermal breakdown of dielectric elastomers occur when heat generated therein cannot be balanced by heat loss on the surface, which is more likely to occur in stacked dielectric elastomers. In this article an electro-thermal model of a multilayered dielectric elastomer able to predict the possible number of layers in a stack before thermal breakdown occurs is presented. Simulation results show that point of breakdown is greatly affected by an increase in surrounding temperature and applied electric field. Furthermore, if the stack diameter is large, thermal insulation of the cylindrical surface is a valid approximation. Two different expressions for the electrical conductivity are used, and it is concluded that the Frank-Kamenetskii expression is more conservative in prediction of point of breakdown than the Arrhenius expression, except at high surrounding temperature. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 65: 859–864, 2019     

The lateral stiffness and damping of a stretched rubber beam

A theory is presented for the effect of axial strain on the stiffness and damping of a rubber strip clamped at its ends and deformed laterally. Experiments on such a system were carried out, varying the tensile strain and the sample dimensions. Both free and forced oscillations were used, the former giving more accurate results for the damping. The results were compared with the theoretical predictions with very good agreement. The work suggests that it may be possible to vary the damping of an engineering component by design of the shape and mode of application of the forces, rather than by variation of the rubber compound out of which it is made. This presents possible advantages with regard to overall performance of the component, for example, the temperature sensitivity. It also suggests a mechanism for possible artefacts in characterisation tests for elastic and loss moduli of the material.     

Crystallization-Directed Anisotropic Electroactuation in Selectively Solvated Olefinic Thermoplastic Elastomers: A Thermal and (Electro)Mechanical Property Study

Dielectric elastomers (DEs), a class of soft electroactive polymers that change size upon exposure to an external electric field, constitute an increasingly important class of stimuli-responsive polymers due primarily to their large actuation strains, facile and low-cost fabrication, scalability, and mechanical robustness. Unless purposefully constrained, most DEs exhibit isotropic actuation wherein size changes are the same in all actuation directions. Previous studies of DEs containing oriented, stiff fibers have demonstrated, however, that anisotropic actuation along a designated direction is more electromechanically efficient since this design eliminates energy expended in nonessential directions. To identify an alternative, supramolecular-level route to anisotropic electroactuation, we investigate the thermal and mechanical properties of novel thermoplastic elastomer gels composed of a selectively solvated olefinic block copolymer that not only microphase-separates but also crystallizes upon cooling from the solution state. While these materials possess remarkable mechanical attributes (e.g., giant strains in excess of 4000%), their ability to be strain-conditioned enables huge anisotropic actuation levels, measured to be greater than 30 from the ratio of orthogonal actuation strains. This work establishes that crystallization-induced anisotropic actuation can be achieved with these DEs.     

Structural silicone sealants after exposure to laboratory test for durability assessment

During the service life of structural sealant glazing (SSG) facades, the load-bearing capacity of the silicone bonds needs to be guaranteed. Laboratory tests can assess the durability of SSG-systems based on mechanical characteristics of the bond after simultaneous exposure to both climatic and mechanical loads. This article studies how the material characteristics of two common structural sealants are affected by laboratory and field exposure. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) confirms a reduction in the dynamic modulus of exposed silicone samples. Results from thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and small-angle X-ray scattering/wide-angle X-ray scattering show differences between the two sealants and indicate no/minor changes in the composition and morphology of the laboratory and field exposed sealants. Mechanical characterization methods, such as DMA, and tensile and shear testing of the structural bond, are shown to be sensitive toward the combined climatic and mechanical loadings, and are hence suitable for studying degradation mechanisms of structural sealants.     

Inverse identification of constitutive parameters from heat source fields: A local approach applied to hyperelasticity

In this paper, a new inverse identification method of constitutive parameters is developed from full kinematic and thermal field measurements. It consists in reconstructing the heat source field from two different approaches by using the heat diffusion equation. The first one requires the temperature field measurement and the value of the thermophysical parameters. The second one is based on the kinematic field measurement and the choice of a thermo-hyperelastic model that contains the parameters to be identified. The identification is carried out at the local scale, ie, at any point of the heat source field, without using the boundary conditions. In the present work, the method is applied to the challenging case of hyperelasticity from a heterogeneous test. Due to large deformations undergone by the rubber specimen tested, a motion compensation technique is developed to plot the kinematic and the thermal fields at the same points before reconstructing the heterogeneous heat source field. In the present case, the constitutive parameter of the Neo-Hookean model has been identified, and its distribution has been characterized with respect to the strain state at the surface of a cross-shaped specimen.     

Amide-containing segmented copolymers

This review highlights the synthesis, physical properties, and emerging technologies of state-of-the-art segmented copolymers containing amide hydrogen bonding sites. Amide hydrogen bonding plays a crucial role in the physical properties associated with amide-containing segmented copolymers. Amide hard segments are accessible in many different forms from amorphous alkyl amides to crystalline aramids and greatly influence copolymer morphology and mechanical properties. Variations in copolymer structure allow for the fine tuning of physical properties and the ability to predict mechanical performance based upon structural modifications. This review includes various synthetic methods for producing well-defined amide-containing segmented copolymers as well as common applications. Also, the morphological and mechanical properties associated with modifications in copolymer structure are discussed.     

不同硬度PTMG型CPUE与硫化橡胶的性能对比研究

通过改变硬段含量、扩链系数等制备了几种不同硬度的四氢呋喃均聚醚(PTMG)浇注型聚氨酯弹性体(CPUE),讨论了PTMG型CPUE与硫化橡胶(VR)的物理机械性能、拉伸应力应变行为以及动态力学性能的区别。结果表明,随CPUE硬度的提高,材料的刚性增强,力学性能是低硬度VR的数倍。通过对CPUE硬度的调节,可以使之兼具聚氨酯和橡胶的优良性能。在玻璃态温度下CPUE的储能模量随硬度的减小而降低,但都高于VR,而且CPUE的硬度越大,二者相差越大,温度越低,相差也越大;在室温以上温度范围内,CPUE具有比VR更小的力学损耗。     

海底用喷涂聚氨酯硬泡保温配重管的节点补口技术

针对海洋油气输送用聚氨酯硬泡喷涂保温配重管铺设过程中节点补口进行改进研究,介绍了一种聚氨酯硬泡喷涂保温配重管节点结构和施工工艺。主要采用聚氨酯硬泡保温半瓦和浇注聚氨酯弹性体进行节点补口,节点补口性能测试验证效果良好,满足海底油气管道铺设要求。     

隔膜滤板膜片用改性聚丙烯的制备

研究了聚丙烯品种、弹性体和生产工艺对改性聚丙烯微观结构、力学性能的影响,开发了3种具有不同性能特点的隔膜滤板膜片用改性聚丙烯。结果表明:产品具有优异的拉伸强度、断裂拉伸应变和耐温性能;成型的膜片经过高压充水多次开合不发生破裂,满足隔膜式压滤机的使用要求。     

Electro-thermal and -mechanical model of thermal breakdown in multilayered dielectric elastomers

Multiple breakdown phenomena may take place when operating dielectric elastomers. Thermal breakdown, which occurs due to Joule heating, becomes of special importance when using multilayered stacks of dielectric elastomers, due to the large volume-to-surface-area-ratio. In this article, a 2D axisymmetric finite-element model of a multilayered stack of dielectric elastomers is set up in COMSOL Multiphysics®. Both the electro-thermal and electro-mechanical couplings are considered, allowing for determination of the onset of thermal breakdown. Simulation results show that an entrapped particle in the dielectric elastomer drastically reduces the possible number of layers in the stack. Furthermore, the possible number of layers is greatly affected by the ambient temperature and the applied voltage. The performance of three hyperelastic material models for modeling the elastomer deformation are compared, and it is established that the Gent model yields the most restrictive prediction of breakdown point, while the Ogden model yields the least restrictive estimation.