Analyzing the Contraction Force of Artificial Muscles Under Negative Pressure Actuation

Artificial muscles actuated by negative pressure offer significant benefits over those driven by positive pressure, such as high contraction ratios and improved safety, making them a promising option for various applications. This paper studies the contraction force characteristic of a bellows-like artificial muscle actuated by negative pressure. Initially, the structure, fabrication, and working principle of the artificial muscle were introduced. Subsequently, based on the force balance method, the contraction force was decomposed as the forces acted by the difference value of the inner and the outer pressures on the end plate, and the tension force derived from the adjacent contraction unit. To reduce complexity, the contraction process was divided into three phases according to the distinct contact conditions of the contraction units: uncontacted, locally contacted, and fully contacted with crests. The deformations of the contraction units in each phase were analyzed, and the corresponding contraction forces were derived. An experiment platform was constructed to test the force by changing the dimension parameters and pressure, obtaining the output force data during isobaric contraction. Finally, a comparison of the experimental and calculated results substantiated the aptness of the theorem model.