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Electrode and electroactive polymer layout design using topology optimization

Hård, Daniel LU ; Wallin, Mathias LU and Ristinmaa, Matti LU orcid (2025) In Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization 68(9).
Abstract

When electrically stimulated, electroactive polymers (EAPs) respond with mechanical deformation. The goal of this work is to design electrode and EAP layouts simultaneously in structures using density-based, multi-material topology optimization. In this novel approach the layout of electrodes and EAP material are not given a priori but is a result from the topology optimization. Material interpolation based on exponential functions is introduced, allowing a large flexibility to control the material interpolation. The electric field in the surrounding free space is modeled using a truncated extended domain method. Numerical examples that demonstrates the method’s ability to design arbitrary EAP and electrode layouts are presented. In... (More)

When electrically stimulated, electroactive polymers (EAPs) respond with mechanical deformation. The goal of this work is to design electrode and EAP layouts simultaneously in structures using density-based, multi-material topology optimization. In this novel approach the layout of electrodes and EAP material are not given a priori but is a result from the topology optimization. Material interpolation based on exponential functions is introduced, allowing a large flexibility to control the material interpolation. The electric field in the surrounding free space is modeled using a truncated extended domain method. Numerical examples that demonstrates the method’s ability to design arbitrary EAP and electrode layouts are presented. In these optimized structures, electrode material is continuously connected from the electrical sources to opposite sides of the EAP material and thereby concentrating the electric field to the EAP material which drives the deformation.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Electroactive polymer, Electrode, Free space, Multi-material, Topology optimization
in
Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization
volume
68
issue
9
article number
170
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:105014941205
ISSN
1615-147X
DOI
10.1007/s00158-025-04117-5
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ef34f831-1c94-4c0b-bf98-887fa9b86c4c
date added to LUP
2025-10-16 11:34:10
date last changed
2025-10-16 12:11:14
@article{ef34f831-1c94-4c0b-bf98-887fa9b86c4c,
  abstract     = {{<p>When electrically stimulated, electroactive polymers (EAPs) respond with mechanical deformation. The goal of this work is to design electrode and EAP layouts simultaneously in structures using density-based, multi-material topology optimization. In this novel approach the layout of electrodes and EAP material are not given a priori but is a result from the topology optimization. Material interpolation based on exponential functions is introduced, allowing a large flexibility to control the material interpolation. The electric field in the surrounding free space is modeled using a truncated extended domain method. Numerical examples that demonstrates the method’s ability to design arbitrary EAP and electrode layouts are presented. In these optimized structures, electrode material is continuously connected from the electrical sources to opposite sides of the EAP material and thereby concentrating the electric field to the EAP material which drives the deformation.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hård, Daniel and Wallin, Mathias and Ristinmaa, Matti}},
  issn         = {{1615-147X}},
  keywords     = {{Electroactive polymer; Electrode; Free space; Multi-material; Topology optimization}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{9}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization}},
  title        = {{Electrode and electroactive polymer layout design using topology optimization}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00158-025-04117-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00158-025-04117-5}},
  volume       = {{68}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}