ELECTRO-ACTIVE POLYMER (EAP) ACTUATOR AND COMPLIANT MECHANISM DESIGN FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS
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Author
Borque Gallego, Guzmán
Beco Albuquerque, Fabio
Helfer, Jean-Luc
Pejchal, Vaclav
Onillon, Emmanuel
DOI
Abstract
This article presents the first study to integrate Electro-Active Polymer (EAP) actuators into space mechanisms and to assess their compatibility with space environment. A demonstrator of a large-angle compliant thruster pointing mechanism for electric propulsion in small satellites produced by additive manufacturing has been designed, integrated and tested as a proof of concept for the use of EAP actuators. Due to their reduced force output and stiffness compared to traditional piezoelectric actuators, and thus profiting from the large intrinsic deformations of EAPs, a new stiffness reduction preload mechanism is proposed and validated, enabling the reduction of required input torque by a factor of 25. An extensive test campaign for both actuator and mechanism has been carried out proving the promising capabilities of such EAP actuators in compliant mechanisms, while identifying their mechanical limits, the effect of space environment, and validating its operation in these conditions.
Publication Reference
21st European Space Mechanisms and Tribology Symposium (ESMATS), 2025, Lausanne (Switzerland), pp. 7
Year
2025-09-24