Stability of magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) or suspensions has been a key issue in the development of various practical applications. In our prior work, it was experimentally confirmed that a high viscosity linear polysiloxane carrier fluid based MRF (hereinafter HVLP MRF) with 26% particle volume fraction (hereinafter 26 vol%) showed high sedimentation stability for 96 days because HVLP carrier fluids have remarkable shear thinning behavior, that is, very high viscosity at low shear rate but low viscosity at high shear rate. In addition, the effects of HVLP carrier fluid viscosity and carbonyl iron (CI) particle concentration on suspension stability were investigated with the objective of synthesizing highly stable HVLP MRFs for practical applications. The HVLP MRFs were synthesized by suspending nominally 32 vol% of CI particles in carrier fluids with different viscosities (i.e., 140, 440, and 800 Pa s). To illustrate the effect of particle concentration on suspension stability, because it is well known that suspension stability increases as particle concentration increases, two low concentrations, 5 and 10 vol%, and two high concentrations, 20 and 32 vol%, were prepared to demonstrate MRFs with relatively severe sedimentation, and stable suspensions, respectively. A vertical axis inductance monitoring system was employed to evaluate the suspension stability of the HVLP MRFs for 365 days by scanning the inductance of the MRF samples in a vertical fluid column, and logging this data with respect to height and time. In addition, the suspension stability of a commercially available MRF (i.e., Lord MRF-132DG) was also measured and compared with similar measurements for HVLP MRFs.

A key requirement for the commercialization of various magnetorheological fluid (MRF)-based applications is sedimentation stability. In this study, a high viscosity linear polysiloxane (HVLP), which has been used for shock absorbers in heavy equipment, is proposed as a new carrier fluid in highly stable MRFs. The HVLP is known to be a thixotropic (i.e., shear thinning) fluid that shows very high viscosity at very low shear rate and low viscosity at higher shear rate. In this study, using the shear rheometer, the significant thixotropic behavior of the HVLP was experimentally confirmed. In addition, a HVLP carrier fluid-based MRF (HVLP MRF) with 26 vol. % was synthesized and its sedimentation characteristics were experimentally investigated. But, because of the opacity of the HVLP MRF, no mudline can be visually observed. Hence, a vertical axis inductance monitoring system (VAIMS) applied to a circular column of fluid was used to evaluate sedimentation behavior by correlating measured inductance with the volume fraction of dispersed particles (i.e., Fe). Using the VAIMS, Fe concentration (i.e., volume fraction) was monitored for 28 days with a measurement taken every four days, as well as one measurement after 96 days to characterize long-term sedimentation stability. Finally, the concentration of the HVLP MRF as a function of the depth in the column and time, as well as the concentration change versus the depth in the column, are presented and compared with those of a commercially available MRF (i.e., Lord MRF-126CD).

High viscosity linear polysiloxane magnetorheological fluid (HVLP MRF) was demonstrated with excellent suspension stability. Such material is suitable for application in the magnetorheological energy absorbers (MREAs) under axial impact loading conditions. On this basis, a new energy absorber incorporating a radial valve with high magnetic field utilization and a corrugated tube is proposed. In energy absorption applications where the MREA is rarely if ever used, our MREA takes the ultra-stable HVLP MRF as controlled medium in order for a long-term stability. For MREA performing at very high shear rates where the minor losses are important contributing factors to damping, a nonlinear analytical model, based on the Herschel-Bulkley flow model (HB model), is developed taking into account the effects of minor losses (called HBM model). The HB model parameters are determined by rheological experiments with a commercial shear rheometer. Then, continuity equation and governing differential equation of the HVLP MRF in radial flow are established. Based on the HB model, the expressions of radial velocity distribution are deduced. The influences of minor losses on pressure drop are analyzed with mean fluid velocities. Further, mechanical behavior of the corrugated tube is investigated via drop test. In order to verify the theoretical methodology, a MREA is fabricated and tested using a high-speed drop tower facility with a 600 kg mass at different drop heights and in various magnetic fields. The experiment results show that the HBM model is capable of well predicting the impact behavior of the proposed MREA.