Viscoelastic creep and relaxation of dielectric elastomers characterized by a Kelvin-Voigt-Maxwell model

For dielectric elastomers (DEs), the inherent viscoelasticity leads to a time-dependent deformation during actuation. To describe such a viscoelastic behavior, a constitutive model is developed by utilizing a combined Kelvin-Voigt-Maxwell (KVM) model. The established model captures both the initial jumping deformation and the following slow creeping. Subsequently, with an employment of VHB 4910 elastomer, experiments are performed to validate the viscoelastic KVM model. The results indicate a good agreement between the simulation and experimental data. Effect of the parameters in KVM model on the viscoelastic deformation of DEs is also investigated.