VOCs(Volatile organic compounds)exert a vital role in ozone and secondary organic aerosol production,necessitating investigations into their concentration,chemical characteristics,and source apportionment for the effe...VOCs(Volatile organic compounds)exert a vital role in ozone and secondary organic aerosol production,necessitating investigations into their concentration,chemical characteristics,and source apportionment for the effective implementation of measures aimed at preventing and controlling atmospheric pollution.FromJuly to October 2020,onlinemonitoringwas conducted in the main urban area of Shijiazhuang to collect data on VOCs and analyze their concentrations and reactivity.Additionally,the PMF(positive matrix factorization)method was utilized to identify the VOCs sources.Results indicated that the TVOCs(total VOCs)concentration was(96.7±63.4μg/m^3),with alkanes exhibiting the highest concentration of(36.1±26.4μg/m^3),followed by OVOCs(16.4±14.4μg/m^3).The key active components were alkenes and aromatics,among which xylene,propylene,toluene,propionaldehyde,acetaldehyde,ethylene,and styrene played crucial roles as reactive species.The sources derived from PMF analysis encompassed vehicle emissions,solvent and coating sources,combustion sources,industrial emissions sources,as well as plant sources,the contribution of which were 37.80%,27.93%,16.57%,15.24%,and 2.46%,respectively.Hence,reducing vehicular exhaust emissions and encouraging neighboring industries to adopt low-volatile organic solvents and coatings should be prioritized to mitigate VOCs levels.展开更多
Purpose:With the growth of knowledge and increasing competition,the assessment of scientific articles has become a challenging issue.Previous research suggests that multiple variables influence the number of academic ...Purpose:With the growth of knowledge and increasing competition,the assessment of scientific articles has become a challenging issue.Previous research suggests that multiple variables influence the number of academic articles.In this study,we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the beginning of chancellorship in top-ranked universities and the number of chancellors’articles.Design/methodology/approach:Chancellors of 200 top universities worldwide were randomly selected from the top 1,000 universities listed on the topuniversities.com profile page.Data were collected through the Scopus Database using a checklist that contained variables such as gender,age,being active or nonactive,and continent.The mean number of articles during the period of three years before the beginning of the chancellorship until three years after that was compared using the Friedman test.Findings:Considering the starting point of the chancellorship,the data showed that the mean number of published articles per year decreased significantly after beginning the chancellorship.Among the chancellors,active chancellors(having a minimum of one article each year),male chancellors,and those from North America indicated a decrease in the number of publications.Research limitations:A major limitation was that in some universities,governance falls under vicechancellor(s)rather than chancellor(s).Practical implications:The study underscores the difficulty of balancing administrative responsibilities,such as university chancellorship,with academic pursuits.Originality/value:For the first time,the results revealed that beginning chancellorship negatively impacts publication output.展开更多
This paper addresses the design of a biomimetic fish robot actuated by piezoeeramic actuators and the effect of artificial caudal fins on the fish robot's performance. The limited bending displacement produced by a l...This paper addresses the design of a biomimetic fish robot actuated by piezoeeramic actuators and the effect of artificial caudal fins on the fish robot's performance. The limited bending displacement produced by a lightweight piezocomposite actuator was amplified and transformed into a large tail beat motion by means of a linkage system. Caudal fins that mimic the shape of a mackerel fin were fabricated for the purpose of examining the effect of caudal fm characteristics on thrust production at an operating frequency range. The thickness distribution of a real mackerel's fin was measured and used to design artificial caudal fins. The thrust performance of the biomimetic fish robot propelled by fins of various thicknesses was examined in terms of the Strouhal number, the Froude number, the Reynolds number, and the power consumption. For the same fm area and aspect ratio, an artificial caudal fin with a distributed thickness shows the best forward speed and the least power consumption.展开更多
In an attempt to realize a flapping wing micro-air vehicle with morphing wings, we report on improvements to our previousfoldable artificial hind wing.Multiple hinges, which were implemented to mimic the bending zone ...In an attempt to realize a flapping wing micro-air vehicle with morphing wings, we report on improvements to our previousfoldable artificial hind wing.Multiple hinges, which were implemented to mimic the bending zone of a beetle hind wing, weremade of small composite hinge plates and tiny aluminum rivets.The buck-tails of rivets were flared after the hinge plates wereassembled with the rivets so that the folding/unfolding motions could be completed in less time, and the straight shape of theartificial hind wing could be maintained after fabrication.Folding and unfolding actions were triggered by electrically-activatedShape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires.For wing folding, the actuation characteristics of the SMA wire actuator were modifiedthrough heat treatment.Through a series of flapping tests, we confirmed that the artificial wings did not fold back and arbitrarilyfluctuate during the flapping motion.展开更多
In this work, a three-dimensional (3D) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was built to simulate the tail fin motion of a fish robot actuated by a piezoceramic composite actuator, and to determine the maximum...In this work, a three-dimensional (3D) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was built to simulate the tail fin motion of a fish robot actuated by a piezoceramic composite actuator, and to determine the maximum thrust tail-beat frequency. A simulation of the tail fin at a tail-beat frequency was performed to confirm measured thrust data from a previous study. The computed and measured thrusts were in good agreement. A series of thrust simulations were conducted for various tail-beat frequencies to confirm the maximum thrust frequency that was obtained from thrust measurements in the previous study. The largest thrust was calculated at a tail-beat frequency of 3.7 Hz and vortices around the tail were fully separated. The calculated maximum thrust tail-beat frequency was in good agreement with the measured frequency. Flow characteristics during tail fin motion were examined to explain why the largest thrust occurred at this particular tail-beat frequency.展开更多
Biological tiny structures have been observed on many kinds of surfaces such as lotus leaves,which have an effect on the coloration of Morpho butterflies and enhance the hydrophobicity of natural surfaces.We investiga...Biological tiny structures have been observed on many kinds of surfaces such as lotus leaves,which have an effect on the coloration of Morpho butterflies and enhance the hydrophobicity of natural surfaces.We investigated the micro-scale and nano-scale structures on the wing surfaces of insects and found that the hierarchical multiple roughness structures help in enhancing the hydrophobicity.After examining 10 orders and 24 species of flying Pterygotan insects,we found that micro-scale and nano-scale structures typically exist on both the upper and lower wing surfaces of flying insects.The tiny structures such as denticle or setae on the insect wings enhance the hydrophobicity,thereby enabling the wings to be cleaned more easily.And the hydrophobic insect wings undergo a transition from Cassie to Wenzel states at pitch/size ratio of about 20.In order to examine the wetting characteristics on a rough surface,a biomimetic surface with micro-scale pillars is fabricated on a silicon wafer, which exhibits the same behavior as the insect wing,with the Cassie-Wenzel transition occurring consistently around a pitch/width value of 20.展开更多
Preparation of hierarchically porous, heteroatom-rich nanostructured carbons through green and scalable routes plays a key role for practical energy storage applications. In this work, naturally abundant lignocellulos...Preparation of hierarchically porous, heteroatom-rich nanostructured carbons through green and scalable routes plays a key role for practical energy storage applications. In this work, naturally abundant lignocellulosic agricultural waste with high initial oxygen content, hazelnut shells, were hydrothermally carbonized and converted into nanostructured ‘hydrochar’. Environmentally benign ceramic/magnesium oxide(Mg O) templating was used to introduce porosity into the hydrochar. Electrochemical performance of the resulting material(HM700) was investigated in aqueous solutions of 1 M H;SO;, 6 M KOH and1 M Na;SO;, using a three-electrode cell. HM700 achieved a high specific capacitance of 323.2 F/g in 1 M H;SO;(at 1 A/g,-0.3 to 0.9 V vs. Ag/Ag Cl) due to the contributions of oxygen heteroatoms(13.5 wt%)to the total capacitance by pseudo-capacitive effect. Moreover, a maximum energy density of 11.1 Wh/kg and a maximum power density of 3686.2 W/kg were attained for the symmetric supercapacitor employing HM700 as electrode material(1 M Na;SO;, E = 2 V), making the device promising for green supercapacitor applications.展开更多
We have studied a biomimetic swimmer based on the motion of bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) theoretically andexperimentally. The swimmer has an ellipsoidal cell body propelled by a helical filament. The pe...We have studied a biomimetic swimmer based on the motion of bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) theoretically andexperimentally. The swimmer has an ellipsoidal cell body propelled by a helical filament. The performance of this swimmer wasestimated by modeling the dynamics of a swimmer in viscous fluid. We applied the Resistive Force Theory (RFT) on this modelto calculate the linear swimming speed and the efficiency of the model. A parametric study on linear velocity and efficiency tooptimize the design of this swimmer was demonstrated. In order to validate the theoretical results, a biomimetic swimmer wasfabricated and an experiment setup was prepared to measure the swimming speed and thrust force in silicone oil. The experimentalresults agree well with the theoretical values predicted by RFT. In addition, we studied the flow patterns surrounding thefilament with a finite element simulation with different Reynolds number (Re) to understand the mechanism of propulsion. Thesimulation results provide information on the nature of flow patterns generated by swimming filament. Furthermore, the thrustforces from the simulation were compared with the thrust forces from theory. The simulation results are in good agreement withthe theoretical results.展开更多
Beetle wings are very specialized flight organs consisting of the veins and membranes.Therefore it is necessary from a bionic view to investigate the material properties of a beetle wing experimentally.In the present ...Beetle wings are very specialized flight organs consisting of the veins and membranes.Therefore it is necessary from a bionic view to investigate the material properties of a beetle wing experimentally.In the present study,we have used a Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique to measure the elastic modulus of a beetle wing membrane.Specimens were prepared by carefully cutting a beetle hind wing into 3.0 mm by 7.0 mm segments (the gage length was 5 mm).We used a scanning electron microscope for a precise measurement of the thickness of the beetle wing membrane.The specimen was attached to a designed fixture to induce a uniform displacement by means of a micromanipulator.We used an ARAMISTM system based on the digital image correlation technique to measure the corresponding displacement of a specimen.The thickness of the beetle wing varied at different points of the membrane.The elastic modulus differed in relation to the membrane arrangement showing a structural anisotropy;the elastic modulus in the chordwise direction is approximately 2.65 GPa,which is three times larger than the elastic modulus in the spanwise direction of 0.84 GPa.As a result,the digital image correlation-based ARAMIS system was suc- cessfully used to measure the elastic modulus of a beetle wing.In addition to membrane's elastic modulus,we considered the Poisson's ratio of the membrane and measured the elastic modulus of a vein using an Instron universal tensile machine.The result reveals the Poisson's ratio is nearly zero and the elastic modulus of a vein is about 11 GPa.展开更多
We conducted a comprehensive study to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics and force generation of the elytra of abeetle,Allomyrina dichotoma.Our analysis included wind tunnel experiments and three-dimensional ...We conducted a comprehensive study to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics and force generation of the elytra of abeetle,Allomyrina dichotoma.Our analysis included wind tunnel experiments and three-dimensional computational fluiddynamics simulations using ANSYS-CFX software.Our first approach was a quasi-static study that considered the effect ofinduced flapping flow due to the flapping motion of the fore-wings (elytra) at a frequency of around 30 Hz to 40 Hz.The dihedralangle was varied to represent flapping motion during the upstroke and downstroke.We found that an elytron producespositive lift at 0° geometric angle of attack,negative lift during the upstroke,and always produces drag during both the upstrokeand downstroke.We also found that the lift coefficient of an elytron does not drop even at a very high geometric angle of attack.For a beetle with a body weight of 5 g,based on the quasi-static method,the fore-wings (elytra) can produce lift of less than 1%of its body weight.展开更多
Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC) can work as an actuator by applying a few voltages.A thick IPMC actuator,where Nafion-117 membrane was synthesized with polypyrrole/alumina composite filler,was analyzed to verify ...Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC) can work as an actuator by applying a few voltages.A thick IPMC actuator,where Nafion-117 membrane was synthesized with polypyrrole/alumina composite filler,was analyzed to verify the equivalent beam and equivalent bimorph beam models.The blocking force and tip displacement of the IPMC actuator were measured with a DC power supply and Young's modulus of the IPMC strip was measured by bending and tensile tests respectively.The calculated maximum tip displacement and the Young's modulus by the equivalent beam model were almost identical to the corresponding measured data.Finite element analysis with thermal analogy technique was utilized in the equivalent bimorph beam model to numerically reproduce the force-displacement relationship of the IPMC actuator.The results by the equivalent bimorph beam model agreed well with the force-displacement relationship acquired by the measured data.It is confirmed that the equivalent beam and equivalent bimorph beam models are practically and effectively suitable for predicting the tip displacement,blocking force and Young's modulus of IPMC actuators with different thickness and different composite of ionic polymer membrane.展开更多
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province(Nos.D2019106042,D2020304038,and D2021106002)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.22276099)+1 种基金the State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Formation and Prevention of Urban Air Pollution Complex(No.2021080544)the Environmental Monitoring Research Foundation of Jiangsu Province(No.2211).
文摘VOCs(Volatile organic compounds)exert a vital role in ozone and secondary organic aerosol production,necessitating investigations into their concentration,chemical characteristics,and source apportionment for the effective implementation of measures aimed at preventing and controlling atmospheric pollution.FromJuly to October 2020,onlinemonitoringwas conducted in the main urban area of Shijiazhuang to collect data on VOCs and analyze their concentrations and reactivity.Additionally,the PMF(positive matrix factorization)method was utilized to identify the VOCs sources.Results indicated that the TVOCs(total VOCs)concentration was(96.7±63.4μg/m^3),with alkanes exhibiting the highest concentration of(36.1±26.4μg/m^3),followed by OVOCs(16.4±14.4μg/m^3).The key active components were alkenes and aromatics,among which xylene,propylene,toluene,propionaldehyde,acetaldehyde,ethylene,and styrene played crucial roles as reactive species.The sources derived from PMF analysis encompassed vehicle emissions,solvent and coating sources,combustion sources,industrial emissions sources,as well as plant sources,the contribution of which were 37.80%,27.93%,16.57%,15.24%,and 2.46%,respectively.Hence,reducing vehicular exhaust emissions and encouraging neighboring industries to adopt low-volatile organic solvents and coatings should be prioritized to mitigate VOCs levels.
基金funded by the North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences,grant No. 4010231。
文摘Purpose:With the growth of knowledge and increasing competition,the assessment of scientific articles has become a challenging issue.Previous research suggests that multiple variables influence the number of academic articles.In this study,we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the beginning of chancellorship in top-ranked universities and the number of chancellors’articles.Design/methodology/approach:Chancellors of 200 top universities worldwide were randomly selected from the top 1,000 universities listed on the topuniversities.com profile page.Data were collected through the Scopus Database using a checklist that contained variables such as gender,age,being active or nonactive,and continent.The mean number of articles during the period of three years before the beginning of the chancellorship until three years after that was compared using the Friedman test.Findings:Considering the starting point of the chancellorship,the data showed that the mean number of published articles per year decreased significantly after beginning the chancellorship.Among the chancellors,active chancellors(having a minimum of one article each year),male chancellors,and those from North America indicated a decrease in the number of publications.Research limitations:A major limitation was that in some universities,governance falls under vicechancellor(s)rather than chancellor(s).Practical implications:The study underscores the difficulty of balancing administrative responsibilities,such as university chancellorship,with academic pursuits.Originality/value:For the first time,the results revealed that beginning chancellorship negatively impacts publication output.
文摘This paper addresses the design of a biomimetic fish robot actuated by piezoeeramic actuators and the effect of artificial caudal fins on the fish robot's performance. The limited bending displacement produced by a lightweight piezocomposite actuator was amplified and transformed into a large tail beat motion by means of a linkage system. Caudal fins that mimic the shape of a mackerel fin were fabricated for the purpose of examining the effect of caudal fm characteristics on thrust production at an operating frequency range. The thickness distribution of a real mackerel's fin was measured and used to design artificial caudal fins. The thrust performance of the biomimetic fish robot propelled by fins of various thicknesses was examined in terms of the Strouhal number, the Froude number, the Reynolds number, and the power consumption. For the same fm area and aspect ratio, an artificial caudal fin with a distributed thickness shows the best forward speed and the least power consumption.
基金supported by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation Grant(National Research Laboratory Program,R0A-2007-000-200012-0)the Korea Research Foundation(KRF-006-005-J03301)partially supported by the 2009 KU Brain Pool of Konkuk University
文摘In an attempt to realize a flapping wing micro-air vehicle with morphing wings, we report on improvements to our previousfoldable artificial hind wing.Multiple hinges, which were implemented to mimic the bending zone of a beetle hind wing, weremade of small composite hinge plates and tiny aluminum rivets.The buck-tails of rivets were flared after the hinge plates wereassembled with the rivets so that the folding/unfolding motions could be completed in less time, and the straight shape of theartificial hind wing could be maintained after fabrication.Folding and unfolding actions were triggered by electrically-activatedShape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires.For wing folding, the actuation characteristics of the SMA wire actuator were modifiedthrough heat treatment.Through a series of flapping tests, we confirmed that the artificial wings did not fold back and arbitrarilyfluctuate during the flapping motion.
文摘In this work, a three-dimensional (3D) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was built to simulate the tail fin motion of a fish robot actuated by a piezoceramic composite actuator, and to determine the maximum thrust tail-beat frequency. A simulation of the tail fin at a tail-beat frequency was performed to confirm measured thrust data from a previous study. The computed and measured thrusts were in good agreement. A series of thrust simulations were conducted for various tail-beat frequencies to confirm the maximum thrust frequency that was obtained from thrust measurements in the previous study. The largest thrust was calculated at a tail-beat frequency of 3.7 Hz and vortices around the tail were fully separated. The calculated maximum thrust tail-beat frequency was in good agreement with the measured frequency. Flow characteristics during tail fin motion were examined to explain why the largest thrust occurred at this particular tail-beat frequency.
基金supported by the National Research Laboratory Program, Korea Science and Engineering Foundation Grant (Grant No. R0A-2007-000-20012-0)the Korea Research Foundation Grant (Grant No. KRF-2006-005-J03301)+1 种基金J. Hong was partially supported by the Korea Research Foundation Grant funded by the Korean Government (MOEHRD) (Grant No. KRP-2006-214-D00056)J. R. Lukes acknowledges partial support from the National Science Foundation (Grant No.CBET-0424101)
文摘Biological tiny structures have been observed on many kinds of surfaces such as lotus leaves,which have an effect on the coloration of Morpho butterflies and enhance the hydrophobicity of natural surfaces.We investigated the micro-scale and nano-scale structures on the wing surfaces of insects and found that the hierarchical multiple roughness structures help in enhancing the hydrophobicity.After examining 10 orders and 24 species of flying Pterygotan insects,we found that micro-scale and nano-scale structures typically exist on both the upper and lower wing surfaces of flying insects.The tiny structures such as denticle or setae on the insect wings enhance the hydrophobicity,thereby enabling the wings to be cleaned more easily.And the hydrophobic insect wings undergo a transition from Cassie to Wenzel states at pitch/size ratio of about 20.In order to examine the wetting characteristics on a rough surface,a biomimetic surface with micro-scale pillars is fabricated on a silicon wafer, which exhibits the same behavior as the insect wing,with the Cassie-Wenzel transition occurring consistently around a pitch/width value of 20.
基金supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey(TüBTAK)under Grant 112T570
文摘Preparation of hierarchically porous, heteroatom-rich nanostructured carbons through green and scalable routes plays a key role for practical energy storage applications. In this work, naturally abundant lignocellulosic agricultural waste with high initial oxygen content, hazelnut shells, were hydrothermally carbonized and converted into nanostructured ‘hydrochar’. Environmentally benign ceramic/magnesium oxide(Mg O) templating was used to introduce porosity into the hydrochar. Electrochemical performance of the resulting material(HM700) was investigated in aqueous solutions of 1 M H;SO;, 6 M KOH and1 M Na;SO;, using a three-electrode cell. HM700 achieved a high specific capacitance of 323.2 F/g in 1 M H;SO;(at 1 A/g,-0.3 to 0.9 V vs. Ag/Ag Cl) due to the contributions of oxygen heteroatoms(13.5 wt%)to the total capacitance by pseudo-capacitive effect. Moreover, a maximum energy density of 11.1 Wh/kg and a maximum power density of 3686.2 W/kg were attained for the symmetric supercapacitor employing HM700 as electrode material(1 M Na;SO;, E = 2 V), making the device promising for green supercapacitor applications.
基金supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education Science and Technology(Grant number:2010-0018884)
文摘We have studied a biomimetic swimmer based on the motion of bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) theoretically andexperimentally. The swimmer has an ellipsoidal cell body propelled by a helical filament. The performance of this swimmer wasestimated by modeling the dynamics of a swimmer in viscous fluid. We applied the Resistive Force Theory (RFT) on this modelto calculate the linear swimming speed and the efficiency of the model. A parametric study on linear velocity and efficiency tooptimize the design of this swimmer was demonstrated. In order to validate the theoretical results, a biomimetic swimmer wasfabricated and an experiment setup was prepared to measure the swimming speed and thrust force in silicone oil. The experimentalresults agree well with the theoretical values predicted by RFT. In addition, we studied the flow patterns surrounding thefilament with a finite element simulation with different Reynolds number (Re) to understand the mechanism of propulsion. Thesimulation results provide information on the nature of flow patterns generated by swimming filament. Furthermore, the thrustforces from the simulation were compared with the thrust forces from theory. The simulation results are in good agreement withthe theoretical results.
基金supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Grant number: 2009-0083068)
文摘Beetle wings are very specialized flight organs consisting of the veins and membranes.Therefore it is necessary from a bionic view to investigate the material properties of a beetle wing experimentally.In the present study,we have used a Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique to measure the elastic modulus of a beetle wing membrane.Specimens were prepared by carefully cutting a beetle hind wing into 3.0 mm by 7.0 mm segments (the gage length was 5 mm).We used a scanning electron microscope for a precise measurement of the thickness of the beetle wing membrane.The specimen was attached to a designed fixture to induce a uniform displacement by means of a micromanipulator.We used an ARAMISTM system based on the digital image correlation technique to measure the corresponding displacement of a specimen.The thickness of the beetle wing varied at different points of the membrane.The elastic modulus differed in relation to the membrane arrangement showing a structural anisotropy;the elastic modulus in the chordwise direction is approximately 2.65 GPa,which is three times larger than the elastic modulus in the spanwise direction of 0.84 GPa.As a result,the digital image correlation-based ARAMIS system was suc- cessfully used to measure the elastic modulus of a beetle wing.In addition to membrane's elastic modulus,we considered the Poisson's ratio of the membrane and measured the elastic modulus of a vein using an Instron universal tensile machine.The result reveals the Poisson's ratio is nearly zero and the elastic modulus of a vein is about 11 GPa.
基金supported by the Basic Science Research Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)funded by the Ministry of Education,Science and Technology of the Korean government (Grant No.2010-0018884)
文摘We conducted a comprehensive study to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics and force generation of the elytra of abeetle,Allomyrina dichotoma.Our analysis included wind tunnel experiments and three-dimensional computational fluiddynamics simulations using ANSYS-CFX software.Our first approach was a quasi-static study that considered the effect ofinduced flapping flow due to the flapping motion of the fore-wings (elytra) at a frequency of around 30 Hz to 40 Hz.The dihedralangle was varied to represent flapping motion during the upstroke and downstroke.We found that an elytron producespositive lift at 0° geometric angle of attack,negative lift during the upstroke,and always produces drag during both the upstrokeand downstroke.We also found that the lift coefficient of an elytron does not drop even at a very high geometric angle of attack.For a beetle with a body weight of 5 g,based on the quasi-static method,the fore-wings (elytra) can produce lift of less than 1%of its body weight.
基金supported by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA)the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) in Korea+1 种基金the Korea Research Foundation (KRF-2006-005-J03301)the National Research Foundation (Grant number: 2009-0083068).
文摘Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC) can work as an actuator by applying a few voltages.A thick IPMC actuator,where Nafion-117 membrane was synthesized with polypyrrole/alumina composite filler,was analyzed to verify the equivalent beam and equivalent bimorph beam models.The blocking force and tip displacement of the IPMC actuator were measured with a DC power supply and Young's modulus of the IPMC strip was measured by bending and tensile tests respectively.The calculated maximum tip displacement and the Young's modulus by the equivalent beam model were almost identical to the corresponding measured data.Finite element analysis with thermal analogy technique was utilized in the equivalent bimorph beam model to numerically reproduce the force-displacement relationship of the IPMC actuator.The results by the equivalent bimorph beam model agreed well with the force-displacement relationship acquired by the measured data.It is confirmed that the equivalent beam and equivalent bimorph beam models are practically and effectively suitable for predicting the tip displacement,blocking force and Young's modulus of IPMC actuators with different thickness and different composite of ionic polymer membrane.