Development of Origami-based Heat Sink for Liquid Pouch Motors

Abstract

This paper proposes an origami-structured heat sink of a graphene copper foil heat-conductive sheet attached to Liquid Pouch Motors. Liquid Pouch Motors is an air actuator that operates based on the phase change of a low-boiling-point liquid. However, this phase change at a low boiling point requires a significant amount of heat, and the condensation process, in particular, is time-consuming as it relies on natural cooling. Using an origami structure in the heat sink enables lightweight construction and flexible adaptation to curved contact surfaces. Additionally, we conduct thermal-fluid analysis using simulations to evaluate the heat dissipation performance based on combinations of design parameters. Subsequently, we measure the impact of the heat sink on the actuator’s contraction speed.