Simulation of relation between electrode thickness and spring characteristic of a new stacked-type electrostatic actuator

In this paper, the simulation result concerning the relation between the electrode thickness and the spring characteristic of a new stacked-type electrostatic actuator has been described. This actuator is constructed by alternately folding two insulated thin metal films, and the electrode parts are thickened to make easily not to expand when the load is applied to this actuator. In a numerical simulation, three-dimensional nonlinear structural analysis including the contact problem has been studied using the finite element method. In the result, it has been understood that the expansion of the actuator is in inverse proportion to about the second power of the electrode thickness. However, when the lengths of the hinge parts are long, the actuator becomes to expand easily even if the electrode parts are thick.