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The study investigates the effects of aggressive factors environments commonly found in industrial environments on the elastomeric material TPU 95 A, which is integrated into a multitude of soft robotics applications. Specimens made of TPU 95 A were subjected to aggressive liquid media - cooling oil, distilled water, and ultraviolet radiation (UV-C) to evaluate changes in their mechanical and elastic properties following uniaxial tensile tests. The research, carried out using additive manufacturing technology, highlights the importance of monitoring how the external factors impact elastic and mechanical characteristics of TPU 95 A material. The results obtained after the experimental tests proves to us that the aggressive media analyzed had a greater or lesser influence on the material. By uniaxial tensile tests, it was found that the liquid absorption had a very important impact on the tensile strength of the material. For example, at 1.02% absorption in distilled water, the maximum value of the ultimate strain decreased by 0.257 mm/mm, and at 3.06% absorption in cooling oil, the maximum value of the strain decreased by 0.672 mm/mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to identify the effects that a series of environmental factors, specific to the industrial conditions, have on the materials in the structure of soft robots and, therefore, on soft robotics systems. The purpose is to understand the changes in the mechanical characteristics of silicone materials, with the aim of transferring soft robotics applications from the sphere of services in the industrial field. Distilled water, hydraulic oil, cooling oil, and UV rays are the environmental factors considered in which the specimens were immersed/exposed for 24 h according to ISO-62/2008. The analysis was carried out on two of the most widely used materials in the field, belonging to the category of silicone rubber, which were subjected to uniaxial tensile tests on the strength testing machine Titan 2 Universal. The results show that the greatest impact on the characteristics of the two materials was when exposed to UV rays, while the other media tested had relatively little impact on the mechanical and elastic properties (tensile strength, elongation at break, and tensile modulus) of these materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]