Electrorheological fluid under elongation, compression, and shearing

Abstract

Electrorheological (ER) fluid based on zeolite and silicone oil under elongation, compression, and shearing was investigated at room temperature. Dc electric fields were applied on the ER fluid when elongation and compression were carried out on a self-constructed test system. The shear yield stress, presenting the macroscopic interactions of particles in the ER fluid along the direction of shearing and perpendicular to the direction of the electric field, was also obtained by a HAAKE RV20 rheometer. The tensile yield stress, presenting the macroscopic interactions of particles in the ER fluid along the direction of the electric field, was achieved as the peak value in the elongating curve with an elongating yield strain of 0.15–0.20. A shear yield angle of about 15°–18.5° reasonably connected tensile yield stress with shear yield stress, agreeing with the shear yield angle tested well by other researchers. The compressing tests showed that the ER fluid has a high compressive modulus under a small compressive strain lower than 0.1. The compressive stress has an exponential relationship with the compressive strain when it is higher than 0.1, and it is much higher than shear yield stress.