抄録
In the previous research, the integration of electrostatic adhesion and actuation was proposed as a promising technique for climbing robots and proved by several prototypes. However, the effects of design parameters on the adhesive and driving forces, considering the breakdown voltage, are still unclear. Using FEM simulation, this paper investigates the relationship between the parameters and the output forces with considering the limitation posed by the discharge or dielectric breakdown. The results show that the thicknesses of cover layer and the base layer influence the maximum force of adhesion as well as actuation. The force ratio between adhesion and driving forces is approximately proportional to the thickness ratio specifically defined in this paper. Finally, we propose a strategy to select parameters such as electrode pitch and thickness of each layer for given requirements on the robot performance.
