Electromechanical losses evaluation by energy-efficient method using the electrostrictive composites: experiments and modeling

Recent directions in electromechanical conversion have explained the features of using electrostrictive polymers as will create new opportunities in sensing and energy harvester devices. At present time, the investigations of using electrostrictive polymer are starting to display its potential in energy harvesting area. However, the control of electromechanical losses is a major problem for electrostrictive polymers efficiency. The aim of this work is the identification of electromechanical conversion losses by electrostrictive polymers using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis. These losses are due mainly to the variation of the electrical and mechanical parameters exciting the electrostrictive polymer. In order to estimate this dissipated energy, an evaluation by FFT has been performed. In this context, an analytical model will be detailed and the theoretical results will be compared with the experimental results. Good agreements have been found between the two approaches. (paper)