Effect of solid state components on the performance of magnetorheological fluids
Joanna Kozłowska, Marcin Leonowicz
Quarterly No. 3, 2013 pages 214-219
DOI:
keywords: smart magnetic materials, magnetorheological fluids, rheological properties
abstract Magnetorhelogical fluids (MRFs) are a class of multifunctional materials with the characteristics of reacting to a magnetic field by noticeable and reversible changes in their rheological and magnetic properties. The object of this study was MRFs with carbonyl iron particles based on a synthetic carrier oil. The effect of varying the mass of the solid state components such as carbonyl iron (CI) particles and fumed silica stabilizing agent additive on the performance of MRFs was examined. For this purpose, the microstructure of MRFs with different carbonyl iron addition was observed in the presence and of without a magnetic field. Moreover, the rheological properties characterization of different compositions of MRFs was conducted using a rheometer equipped with a magnetic field. It was found that the application of an appropriate proportion of solid components plays a crucial role in the formation of usable magnetorheological properties. The results of steady shear tests show that a higher mass proportion of carbonyl iron particles strongly affects the performance of MRFs, the yield stress as well as off- and on-state viscosity. A higher content of magnetic particles can ensure a substantial increase in the yield stress values of MRFs. The MRF containing 75% w/w CI achieved a yield stress at the level of 18 kPa in the magnetic field of 318 kA/m, while the MRF with lowest magnetic component mass concentration of 25% w/w reached only 0.4 kPa, whereas the MRFs with different fumed silica amounts achieved more comparable viscosity level and yield stress values. These results clearly indicate the decisive influence of carbonyl iron content on MRF performance. Oscillatory, rheometric measurements versus magnetic field show that the highest values of shear complex modulus were achieved by the MRFs with the highest percentage of carbonyl iron particles (75% w/w) and fumed silica additive (1% w/w). At the same time, the loss factor dependence on the fumed silica and carbonyl iron amount showed a much smaller effect on the MRF performance.