LAUSR

A viscoelastic model is developed for a dissipative Thin spherical dielectric elastomer actuator (TSDEA), with which the air-coupled effect and the ambient pressure effect are considered. The evolution equation is constructed by using the rheological model and is solved by employing the improved Euler method. The sealed air in the TSDEA is governed by the ideal gas state equation. Numerical results show that the air-coupled effect is helpful for evolving into the stable state. It also shows that the ambient pressure and the loading parameters play an important role on the temporal evolution behavior of the TSDEA. The TSDEA can evolve into a much larger size configuration in a low ambient pressure environment than that in a high ambient pressure environment. The model can be employed to analyze or predict the viscoelastic behaviors of a TSDEA.