Mechanical responses of Ecoflex silicone rubber: Compressible and incompressible behaviors

• DOI: 10.1002/app.47025
• Publication Date: 2018-08-29T22:08:35Z
• Authors: D. Steck; J. Qu; S. B. Kordmahale; D. Tscharnuter; A. Muliana; J. Kameoka
• Keywords: Soft Robotics; Silicone rubber

ABSTRACT Silicon rubbers are widely used in a variety of products ranging from cooking utensils and electronics to medical devices implants. Recently, they have sparked an interest among soft robotics researchers as can be easily formed into various shapes actuated relatively fast easy way. In this article, we examine the nonlinear elastic response silicon rubber, Ecoflex, under both compressible incompressible constraints. An experimental test on uniaxial tension indicates slight compressibility, compressibility increases with stretching. Five different constitutive material models considered describe responses Ecoflex conditions. addition, finite element (FE) analysis is presented analyze multiaxial structures or made complex boundary This study highlights variations at large deformations For high precision control applications, there need understand rubbers, especially deformations. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 47025.