Modeling of carbon nanotube actuators: Part II - Mechanical properties, electro mechanical coupling and validation of the model

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes have the potential to become one of the actuating materials of the future. Since the discovery of the actuating effect a lot of experimental data was collected to describe the electro mechanical coupling. Now a model for the system behavior is needed to enhance the understanding of the effect. In the first part of this two-part article a model originating from the irreversible thermodynamics was introduced. Also the electrical parameters of the model were determinated by impedance spectroscopy. Furthermore the mechanical parameters and the electro mechanical coupling has to be examined. The main subject of this article is to validate the model and to compare measured and simulated responses to several excitations.