Mechanical Analysis of Actuators Operating Against Springs

3 Mechanical Analysis of Actuators Operating Against Springs 

To further evaluate the strain/stress requirements of a potential actuation system, it is necessary to analyse the effects of operating the actuator against a restoring spring [8]. 

The acmator strain can be estimated assuming linear elastic (Hookean) behaviour of the acmator material. The strain is first estimated for the case where the elastic modulus of the acmator material does not change when stimulated. The change in length after stimulation is  

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