Method of Measuring Deformations of Magnetoactive Elastomers under the Action of Magnetic Fields

Abstract

Magnetic deformation is a change in the size and shape of a sample under the action of a uniform external magnetic field. The study of this effect in various materials provides deep understanding of the nature of magnetic and mechanical interactions. Moreover, magnetic deformation is of great interest from an engineering point of view for designing new devices. In magnetoactive elastomers containing magnetic microparticles in the polymer matrix, a giant deformation is detected under the action of an external magnetic field. The generally accepted methods for measuring magnetic deformation in magnetoactive soft materials are now practically absent. The article describes the installation for the study of the magnetomechanical characteristics of magnetoactive elastomers and demonstrates its experimental capabilities. The installation allows to measure deformations in the range from 0 to 12.5 mm with a resolution of 1 micron. The deformation curves obtained using these installations are required for developing actuators and sensors based on magnetoactive elastomers, and also for improving their manufacturing technologies.