STRESS RELAXATION OF MAGNETORHEOLOGICAL FLUIDS

Abstract

In this paper, the experimental and modeling study and analysis of the stress relaxation characteristics of magnetorheological (MR) fluids under step shear are presented. The experiments are carried out using a rheometer with parallel-plate geometry. The applied strain varies from 0.01% to 100%, covering both the pre-yield and post-yield regimes. The effects of step strain, field strength, and temperature on the stress modulus are addressed. For small step strain ranges, the stress relaxation modulus G(t,γ) is independent of step strain, where MR fluids behave as linear viscoelastic solids. For large step strain ranges, the stress relaxation modulus decreases gradually with increasing step strain. Morever, the stress relaxation modulus G(t,γ) was found to obey time-strain factorability. That is, G(t,γ) can be represented as the product of a linear stress relaxation G(t) and a strain-dependent damping function h(γ). The linear stress relaxation modulus is represented as a three-parameter solid viscoelastic model, and the damping function h(γ) has a sigmoidal form with two parameters. The comparison between the experimental results and the model-predicted values indicates that this model can accurately describe the relaxation behavior of MR fluids under step strains.