Application Study of Magnetorheological Elastomer to Rolling Friction Control

Abstract

Magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) are smart materials that have been studied widely for their material properties. The elasticity modulus or hardness of an MRE can be changed when an external magnetic field is applied. In this study, a study of MREs applied to rolling friction control under various external magnetic strengths is conducted. To accomplish this, the rolling friction property of an elastomer on a rigid plate is analyzed. Then, MREs are prepared, and a rolling friction tester is designed to evaluate the changes in the rolling friction coefficient. The results show that the rolling friction coefficient can be changed with different magnetic field strengths. The rolling friction coefficient of the MRE can be controlled by the applied magnetic field, which can be applied to control the slip rate and be adapted to achieve the optimal friction effect in the future.

Friction variable rubber pad using magnetorheological elastomer for robot grippers

“…Recent studies also showed that the friction coefficient of an MRE could be controlled through a magnetic field applied on the surface of the material (Lee et al, 2013). Several studies analyzed the tribological properties of MREs for variable rolling friction (Lian et al, 2017b) and for stick-slip between an aluminum plate and the MRE (Lian et al, 2017a). Furthermore, a study was conducted on the wear-out of the surface of the MREs due to friction variation, temperature, and humidity (Lian et al, 2018).…”

Smart material based on magnetorheological elastomer and its 3D printing

“…The use of MREs in new fields has been continuously being explored and some new kinds of MRE featured applications include roller friction control [229] and adaptive magnetoelastic metamaterials (MMs) [230]. The rolling friction coefficient was found to be decreased with the application of a magnetic field but can be regulated by changing the strength of the magnetic field.…”