CTEC prepared an experimental setup for measuring the displacement of the Photo-Mobile Polymer (PMP), while exposed to light. The goal is to observe and quantify the displacement of the PMP in time, when it is exposed to light, and the effect of the light intensity on this displacement.
The experimental setup is made of a 930 lm LED torch (Figure 1-100), a sample holder (Figure 1-101), a PMP sample (Figure 1-102), and a laser interferometer (Figure 1-103). The torch can be used with different intensities level, and in stroboscopic mode. A signal showing the torch state (ON / OFF) is compared to the PMP sample displacement (Figure 2).
Figure 1: Experimental setup.
Figure 2: Displacement Vs time.
The experiment results showed interesting behavior of the PMP.
- The displacement speed of the PMP is constant during the insolation period.
- The displacement speed of the PMP increases with the insolation intensity.
- The relaxation time of the PMP is higher than its actuation time.
- The high relaxation time allows the use of PWM techniques, to vary the mean intensity of the light. The low activation time allows the system to respond quickly.
This experimental setup paves the way for a complete test bench that we will be used to characterize the PMP / PZL materials in the project. In the short-term perspective, we want to use this experimental setup to confirm the possibility of driving the PMP with PWM controlled light.
