Post-slip pressure–clutch stress relationship in sheathed electroadhesive-clutched SPA

Determine the quantitative relationship between internal pressure in an inverse pneumatic artificial muscle and the clutch stress of a silicone-sheathed electroadhesive clutch after slip to enable predictive modeling and control of strain limitation following sliding onset.

Background

The chapter introduces silicone-sheathed electroadhesive (EA) clutches that provide antagonistic, variable-friction tension for soft pneumatic actuators (SPA). By applying pulse-width modulation to the high-voltage drive, the clutches modulate on-state friction and enable position control while remaining lightweight and compliant.

In SPA strain limitation experiments, the sheathed clutch begins to slip above pressure thresholds that depend on duty cycle. After slip, the system continues to limit strain at a new length, and each duty cycle yields a distinct steady-state bending angle and horizontal displacement at fixed pressure. Despite these observations, the authors note that the post-slip regime involves a complex coupling of internal pressure and clutch stress that has not been characterized, motivating a dedicated investigation.