Investigation of Thermal Conductivity of Alumina/Silicone Oil Electrorheological Fluids

Abstract

Electrorheological (ER) fluids are new materials with good properties such as dielectric constant, dielectric loss or conductivity, which display remarkable rheological behavior, being able to convert rapidly and repeatedly from a liquid to solid when an electric field is applied or removed. In this study, suspensions of alumina (A) were prepared in silicone oil (SO). The effects of electric field strength and temperature of the suspensions on thermal conductivity were determined. Thermal conductivity measurement in different conditions was carried out via experimental instrument with high-voltage power supply and water heating device to investigate the effects of electric field strength and temperature on ER performance and thermal conductivity. The results show that the thermal conductivity is in accordance with ER properties enhanced by increasing the field strength and decreasing the temperature.