Modelling and FEM simulation of a rotating hyperelastic spherical balloon actuator

ABSTRACT

This paper presents static modelling and simulation of a spherically-shaped hyperelastic balloon actuator subjected to an angular rotation with an internally applied air pressure. These actuators are extensively used in soft robotics because its safe and flexible nature. The balloon actuator is a pneumatic-type actuator made of a polymeric material. A continuum mechanics-based analytical modelling and Finite element method-based simulation are performed to predict the response of the actuator for a given angular rotation with internally applied air pressure. The proposed modelling framework is subsequently utilised to perform the parametric studies for varying pressure, thickness, and rotational speed of the actuator. Various elastic instability curves are also obtained to examine the critical inflation of the rubber balloon actuator. The analytical findings agree well with the FEM simulations.

KEYWORDS:

• Hyperelastic material
• rubber balloon actuator
• FEM simulation
• elastic instability

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the computational facilities provided by MANIT Bhopal and IIT Patna.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability Statement (DAS)

The authors accept the publicly available data sharing policy, under which all authors are required to make the data and materials that support the results or analyses presented in their paper freely available.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Vinod Yadav

Dr. Vinod Yadav is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MANIT-Bhopal. Dr. Yadav received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Specialized in Design & Manufacturing) from IIT-Guwahati in 2016. His main areas of interest include Solid Mechanics, FEM, and Plasticity.

Deepak Kumar

Dr. Deepak Kumar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MANIT-Bhopal. Prior to joining MANIT-Bhopal, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow with a research group on bio-mechanics and soft machines at Applied Mechanics Department of IIT-Delhi. He also worked as a Research Associate at SRIC-IIT Kharagpur. Dr. Kumar received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Specialized in Continuum Mechanics) from IIT-Patna in 2019. His main areas of interest include Soft Materials Mechanics, Electro-magneto-elasticity, and Electro-magneto-rheology. Dr. Kumar is a highly motivated dynamic scholar and fully dedicated to the original research. He regularly writes and reviews articles for various peer-reviewed international journals and conferences.

Ayush Srivastav

Ayush Srivastav is a final year undergraduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MANIT, Bhopal, India.

Somnath Sarangi

Dr. Somnath Sarangi is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Patna.