Modeling of Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite beam dynamics and its validation using high-speed motion visualization

Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC) materials have intrinsic actuation and sensing properties. Motivated by potential fluid sensing applications of IPMC sensors, we investigate the dynamic response of a free-vibrating IPMC beam in a fluid. The flexible beam is approximated with multiple, serially connected rigid elements. The parameters of the resulting model are related to the physical properties of the material and the fluid. High-speed imaging is used to capture the trajectory of a cantilevered IPMC beam in air and in water, respectively. Good agreement is achieved between the model prediction and the measured tip displacement. The corresponding sensor output (short-circuit current) has also shown strong correlation with the tip displacement. These results provide a basis for extracting fluid and flow properties based on the IPMC sensor output.