Design Concept for the Development of Cylinder Drives based on Electrorheological Fluids

Abstract

This article deals with the practical use of electrorheological fluids (ERFs). At the Institute for Fluid Power Drives and Control (IFAS), a test rig has already been in use for several years and different applications have been investigated with it. During these investigations, information about the various influences on the ER effect, in terms of yield stress and current density, could be gathered. Due to the improvement of the ERF itself and the associated components, it is now possible to build up cylinder drives with improved forces and dynamic behavior. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of design rules and design aids for applications based on ERFs till today. After introducing some of the applications developed at IFAS, this article presents the latest measurements of valves based on ERFs. Knowing the influence of geometric parameters on the ER effect, a mathematical model has been adapted to the fluid used in recent measurements. It is also shown that a modular design of the cylinder drives makes the setup of the simulation model possible and enables the application engineer to carry out an accurate measurement.