The performance of an electrorheological fluid in dynamic squeeze flow under constant voltage and constant field

Abstract

This paper is concerned with an experimental investigation in which an electrorheological (ER) fluid is applied to control vibration. The fluid is sandwiched between two planar electrodes, the upper one fixed while the lower one is subjected to an oscillatory sinusoidal motion and is energized either by a constant voltage or by a constant field. In this dynamic squeeze flow it is seen that the force transmitted across the fluid is greater when the applied electrical field is maintained at a constant level, controlled with reference to the instantaneous gap between the electrodes. In addition, we compare the experimental results with those from an existing theoretical model in which the fluid is assumed to have a bi-viscous rheological characteristic.