Experimental study of a dielectric elastomer

Abstract: A number of different experiments on a dielectric elastomer, VHB 4910, were performed: uniaxial tensile strain tests, in situ SAXS/WAXS measurements of a sample under uniaxial tensile loading and DIC measurements of an electrically loaded circular sample with simultaneous force measurements around the circular boundary using a novel method developed in this thesis. The results are presented and analysed mainly from an experimental perspective. The results from the WAXS measurements indicate subtle structure change and anisotropy as a result of uniaxial straining. The results from the simultaneous DIC and circular force measurements indicate this to be a promising way of studying electromechanical behaviour of dielectric elastomers. Suggestions are made for future experiments towards refining the method and addressing possible sources of error in the experimental procedure.