Study On The Performance And Applied Technology Of IPMC

IPMC (Ion-exchange Polymer Metal Composite) is a type of intelligent material used inthe creation of artificial muscle. Its advantages include; fast response speeds, low voltagesdriver, light weight and flexible. To date IPMC is used in actuators for underwater navigationequipments, because it benefits; small disturbances, non-pollution, no noise and no lubricationnecessary. This thesis paper covers IMPC generation, mathematical modelling and testing anda small scale bionic implementation based on the IPMC material.After local and international background research on IPMC; its composition andpreparation method of artificial muscle IPMC, artificial muscle was created by silver platingon membrane Nafion-117; produced by the Dupont Company. Further research and testinglead the team to manufacture the previously bought Nafion membrane using Nafion solutionand it was found that creating the IPMC using a thicker cast Nafion membrane enabled biggerdriving forces and extended service life; improvements and control benefits not previouslyidentified existing research documents.A mechanical model to relate the input signals to the output force of IPMC artificialmuscle was then established. This model effectively improves the application and control ofthe IPMC material and therefore the artificial muscle. Added benefits also include moreeffective development and application about IPMC and it is hoped that this will lay thefoundation for further growth in IPMC based underwater propulsion units.To confirm hypothesis a test platform was created using a force measuring sensors and alow output driver that was connected to varying IPMC materials. By selecting reasonableoutput signal units, detailed output force measurements were recorded. The relationshipbetween the input signals and the output force was then generated from the experimental dataand processed; proving the above mentioned hypothesis and the correctness of the developedIPMC mechanical model. The experiment showed that one can effectively improve the outputforce of IPMC not only by increasing the thickness of the basement membrane but also bycontrolling the voltage and frequency of the input signal.The final aspect of this research probe sought to use findings to create a physicalimplementation of an IPMC based system. Using the sting ray as a bionic object andanalysing its body structure and swimming mechanism, a bionic ray design concept; based on IPMC was put forward. IPMC was used to make pectoral fins of the rays and movement wassimulated by controlling the IPMC, using miniature batteries and a control system in the bellyof the ray. The experimental results verified the feasibility of using IPMC in underwaterpropellers.