A Modeling Strategy for Predicting the Properties of Paraffin Wax Actuators

In production processes, many adjustment tasks have to be carried out manually. In order to automate these activities, there is a need for cost and space efficient actuators that can provide comparatively high forces. This paper presents a novel actuator concept based on the phase change material paraffin wax. Furthermore, a numerical modelling strategy is introduced enabling the prediction of actuator properties. The model considers paraffin wax as a deformable body. The temperature-dependent volume expansion data of the paraffin wax is obtained experimentally to allow for a realistic description of the thermal-mechanical properties. The simulation is verified, using experimental data from actuators with varying paraffin wax volumes. With a maximum deviation of 6%, the simulations show a good agreement with the experiments.