AbstractIn recent years the interest in materials with specific adjustable properties has increased due to higher requirements on the material performance. Here a smart composite material is to be developed, whose stiffness can be varied subjected to a magnetic field. To realise this aim a magnetorheological fluid (MRF) embedded in a polymeric matrix material is considered. To model the material behaviour of the composite a homogenisation method will be applied. Amongst others this requires the knowledge of the multiaxial material behaviour of each constituent. The modelling of the material behaviour of MRF under shear deformation, which is the aim of this work, represents the first step in this process. (© 2011 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)