Soft dielectric elastomers (SDEs) represent a category of intelligent electroactive materials utilized in electro-mechanical actuation technology. The dynamic performance of these materials during actuation is notably affected by intrinsic factors like crosslinks, entanglements and the limited extensibility of polymer chains. In this paper, we provide a theoretical framework for modeling the dynamic behavior of a balloon actuator made up of soft dielectric elastomer. To account for the inherent characteristics of polymer chain networks, we employ a physics-based nonaffine material model proposed by Davidson and Goulbourne. The governing equation for dynamic motion is established using Euler–Lagrange’s equation of motion for conservative systems. The reported dynamic modeling framework is then utilized to explore the transient response, stability, periodicity and resonance properties of a dielectric elastomer balloon (DEB) actuator for varying levels of polymer chain crosslinks, entanglements and finite extensibility parameters. To assess the periodicity and stability of the nonlinear vibrations exhibited by the DEB actuator, we present Poincaré maps and phase-plane plots. The results demonstrate that changes in the density of polymer chain entanglements lead to transitions between quasi-periodic and aperiodic vibrations. These findings represent an essential initial step toward the design and production of intelligent soft actuators with diverse applications in future technologies.

软介电弹性体（SDE）代表一类用于机电驱动技术的智能电活性材料。这些材料在驱动过程中的动态性能明显受到交联、缠结和聚合物链的有限延伸性等内在因素的影响。在本文中，我们提供了一个理论框架，用于模拟由软介电弹性体制成的气球致动器的动态行为。为了解释聚合物链网络的固有特性，我们采用了戴维森和古尔伯恩提出的基于物理的非仿射材料模型。动态运动的控制方程是使用保守系统的欧拉-拉格朗日运动方程建立的。然后利用所报告的动态建模框架来探索介电弹性体球囊（DEB）执行器对于不同水平的聚合物链交联、缠结和有限延展性参数的瞬态响应、稳定性、周期性和共振特性。为了评估 DEB 执行器所表现出的非线性振动的周期性和稳定性，我们提出了庞加莱图和相平面图。结果表明，聚合物链缠结密度的变化导致准周期振动和非周期振动之间的转变。这些发现代表了设计和生产在未来技术中具有多种应用的智能软执行器的重要第一步。