International Journal of Modern Physics B ^fcfik uu

Vol. 19, Nos. 7, 8 & 9 (2005) 1463-1470 w World Scientific

,, . ' ,\. , . www.worldscientific.com
wWorld cScientific Publishing Company
n

MR FLUIDS AND DEVICES IN THE REAL WORLD

J. DAVID CARLSON
Lord Corporation, 406 Gregson Drive, Cary, NC 27511, USA
e-mail: jdcarlson@lord. com, http://www. mrfluid. com

Magnetorheological (MR) fluids are now well established as one of the leading materials for use in
controllable structures and systems. Commercial application of MR fluids, particularly in the
automotive industry, has grown rapidly over the past few years. Today, MR fluid devices can be
Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 2005.19:1463-1470. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

found in tens of thousands of vehicles. Experience in developing commercially successful MR fluids

and devices has led to the creation of a series of figures-of-merit, design guidelines and empirical
equations for describing MR fluids. Such experience-based guidelines have proven to be invaluable
by CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY on 10/15/14. For personal use only.

tools in all phases of MR fluid device development from initial concept feasibility to production
engineering. These tools are easily integrated into design spreadsheets that enable the simultaneous
optimization of MR fluid, device geometry, device size, device materials and electromagnet
parameters.

1 Introduction

Magnetorheological fluid technology has progressed to the point where it is routinely

used on a commercial scale to provide semi-active control in a variety of automotive and
industrial applications. MR fluid production levels in 2004 are on the order of hundreds
of tons per year (or tens of thousands of liters) such that commercial applications on
several automotive platforms are supported. A factor of ten or more increase in volume
over the next ten years is anticipated. It is estimated that there are presently more than
105 MR dampers, shock absorbers, brakes and clutches in use worldwide. This number
is expected to rise into the millions over the next ten years as more automotive platforms
adopt smart MR fluid suspensions and fan clutch systems.
Experience in developing MR fluids and devices for successful commercial
application has shown that the greatest barriers to technical success are ultimately often
not the factors presumed to be most important in the laboratory and early development
stages. While yield strength and settling stability are certainly important, other factors
such as off-state viscosity and durability can be equally important. While a number of
"standard" MR fluids are commercially available today, MR fluids for significant
applications are tailored to meet the specific requirements of the application.
The present paper provides an overview of the properties of a range of "standard"
MR fluids. A set of empirical equations that provide yield strength and magnetic flux
density as a function of applied magnetic field strength, iron particle volume fraction and
carrier fluid type for virtually any MR fluid are presented. These equations have proven
to be useful for inclusion in spreadsheets used to develop and optimize the design of MR
fluid devices. A variety of figures of merit are also defined and described which serve to
help with the tailoring and optimization of MR fluid formulations for specific
applications. Finally, some experience-based guidelines that have proven useful for
estimating the necessary size and ultimate feasibility of an MR devices required to
achieve a specified level of performance are described.

1463
 1464 J. D. Carlson

2 Recent MR Fluid Highlights

MR fluids have been used commercially since the mid-1990s. The first application
was a small controllable MR fluid brake in aerobic exercise equipment manufactured
by Nautilus (1). In retrospect, this was not a particularly good application for MR
fluid owing to the inherent fickleness of the exercise equipment market and the
extreme use to which some exercise equipment can be subjected. However, it did
demonstrate the efficacy of MR fluids for providing real-time control in mechanical
systems. In 1998, small, real-time controlled MR fluid damper systems were
introduced commercially into the heavy-duty truck and off-highway vehicle market
for suspended seat applications (2-5). A controllable MR fluid based primary
Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 2005.19:1463-1470. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

suspension shock absorber for use on NASCAR race vehicles was introduced (6).
In January of 2002, the Cadillac Seville STS automobile was introduced with a
MagneRide suspension system with controllable shock absorbers as standard
by CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY on 10/15/14. For personal use only.

equipment (7,8). The shock absorbers are made by Delphi Corporation and the MR
fluid is made by Lord Corporation. Similar, controllable MR fluid-based suspension
systems on the Corvette (9), Cadillac SRX and Cadillac XLR models soon followed
(10,11). All of these systems are based on monotube shock absorbers that have a
single-stage, axi-symmetric MR valve contained in the piston.
The MR fluid-based suspension systems implemented on these various GM
vehicles enable simultaneous ride comfort control and body motion control. The
control system architecture for these systems processes inputs from relative position
sensors at each wheel. In addition, inputs from a lateral accelerometer, yaw rate
sensor, steering angle sensor and speed sensor all feed by way of a CAN bus into the
controller. The control algorithms are quite complex and seek to simultaneously
optimise a wide range of performance features including: overall handling, overall
ride comfort, body control in the 1-4 Hz range, wheel control in the 4-8 Hz range,
wheel control in the 8-80 Hz range, road noise, head toss and a subjective safe
feeling. Since their introduction, MR fluid-based, real-time controlled suspension
systems have garnered virtually universal praise from automotive reviewers (9, 12).
Late in 2003, General Motors disclosed the possibility of a magnetorheological
fluid based fan clutch for light trucks (13). The benefit of such an MR fluid
controlled clutch is a very significant fuel economy saving. General Motors foresees
a 2.5 percent improvement in fuel economy. A conventional viscous fluid clutch
works by allowing silicone oil to flow into the working chamber when needed and
removing it to turn off the fan. In contrast, the MR fluid always stays in the working
chamber and simply changes from a very low viscosity fluid to a semi-solid through
application of a magnetic field from an electromagnet. When the cooling fan is
needed, the MR clutch is energized such that the fan turns at the precise speed
needed to maintain the optimum engine temperature for highest efficiency.
In 2004, MR fluids in small, litre-sized quantities cost about $600 per litre.
When purchased in larger quantities appropriate to automotive production volumes,
MR fluids are priced in the range of $60 to $180 per litre depending on the details of
the specific MR fluid formulation and the actual annual fluid production volume
(14). MR fluid production levels in 2004 are on the order of hundreds of tons per
year (or tens of thousands of litres) such that commercial applications on several
automotive platforms are supported. A ten-fold volume increase over the next ten
years is anticipated. The estimated number of MR fluid dampers, shocks, brakes and
 MR Fluids and Devices in the Real World 1465

clutches in use worldwide is more than 105. This number is expected to rise into the
millions over the next decade as more automotive platforms adopt smart MR fluid
suspensions and fan clutch systems.

3 Today's MR Fluids and Dr. Dave's Equations

While a few "standard" MR fluids are commercially available today, MR fluids for
significant applications are generally tailored to meet the specific requirements of the
application. The liquid type and viscosity, particle size, morphology and chemistry,
volume fraction and additive package are all be chosen to optimize the MR fluid for
the conditions of the application. MR fluids can be formulated to have a maximum
Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 2005.19:1463-1470. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

yield strength in the range of 30 to 100 kPa. Proper choice of additives can insure
that the MR fluid is a stable against particle settling, as the application requires. A
by CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY on 10/15/14. For personal use only.

summary of the normal ranges for various MR fluid properties along with specific
values for several commercial MR fluids are given in Table 1.
Depending on the usage conditions, all MR fluids will eventually show some
degree of deterioration. Such deterioration is usually manifested as a thickening of
the fluid as described above although other problems may occur as well. Silicone oil
based fluids, for instance, are prone to cross-linking if exposed to high temperatures
for extended periods or to ionizing radiation, particularly when used in an
environment rich with an iron catalyst as in a MR fluid. The amount of
deterioration generally depends on the shear rate, temperature and duration.
An ad hoc measure that has proven useful in estimating the expected life of
MR fluid in a particular application is the lifetime dissipated energy or LDE (19)
defined as:
1 {life
LDE = -jo P-dt (l)
P is the instantaneous mechanical power converted to heat in the MR device. V is
the volume of MR fluid in the device. LDE is simply the total mechanical energy
converted to heat per unit volume of MR fluid over the life of a device. It is our
experience that the best MR fluids today can sustain a LDE on the order of 107 J/cm3
before they thicken to the point where device performance is compromised. Poor
MR fluids, on the other hand, may become unusable with LDE's as low as 105
J/cm3.
Measured on-state yield strength T and flux density B versus magnetic field
intensity H for several "standard" MR fluids from Lord Corporation are given in
Figures 1 and 2. Also shown in these figures are a series of predicted curves based
on "Dr. Dave's" empirical equations (20):
TMR =C-271700-^ 15239 -Tanh(633xlO-6 -H) (2)
x 133
B = 1 . 9 1 <f> [1 - exp(-10.97 ju0 //)] + fi0 H (3)
Where 0 is the volume fraction of iron particles, TMR is in Pa, H is in A/m, \i0 is the
magnetic constant equal to 47txl0"7 and the constant C equals 1.0, 1.16 or 0.95
depending on whether the carrier fluid is hydrocarbon oil, water or silicone oil. Dr.
Dave's equations have been developed to provide a practical and convenient
description of virtually any MR fluid.
 1466 J. D. Carlson

Property Normal Range MRF-122-2ES MRF-132AD MRF-336AG MRF-241ES

Carrier Liquid Hydrocarbon Hydrocarbon Silicone Oil Water

Particle Volume Fraction, c>

| 0 20 to 0.45 0.22 0.32 0.36 0.41

Particle Weight Fraction 0 70 to 0 90 0.72 0.82 0.82 0.85

3
Density (g/cm ) 2 to 4 2.38 3.09 3.45 3 86

Yield Strength (kPa) 10 to 55 13 23 29 48

@ 100 kA/m

Yield Strength (kPa) 20 to 80 23 42 46 67

Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 2005.19:1463-1470. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

@ 200 kA/m

Yield Strength (kPa) 25 to 100 -29 -45 -53 -80

by CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY on 10/15/14. For personal use only.

@ saturation

Plastic Viscosity (mPa-s) 50 to 200 70 90 100 88 @ 25C

-
@ 40C, f > 500 s '

Temperature Range (C) -40 to 130 -40 to 130 -40 to 150 -10 to 70

Magnetic Permeability, 3.5 to 10 ~4 -6 ~7 -8

Relative @ low field

Figure of Merit (Pa/s) 10 1 0 tol0" 1.2x10' 2.2 x l 0 ' 2.8x10' 7.2x10'

Response Time (s) < 0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0 001 <0.001

Flash Point (C) >150 >150 >150 >93

Thermal Conductivity* 0.21 to 0.81 0.25 to 1.06 0.20 to 1.88 0.85 to 3.77
(W/mC), @ 25C

Specific Heat 0.6 to 1.0 0.94 0.80 0.94 0.65

(J/gC),@25'>C

Coef Thermal Exp.** 2 to 7 x 10" 6 5 x 10"1 5.5 x 10"" 5 8 x 10 4 2.2 x 10 4

0 to 50C, (AV/V)/C

Table 1 -Properties of commercial MRfluids(compiled from 15-18).

4 MR Device Size and Feasibility

In earlier works (21,22), we have shown that the equations describing the on-state
and off-state forces (or torque) in a MR fluid device can be combined into a simple
expression for the minimum active fluid volume, i.e. the volume of fluid acted upon
by the magnetic field in a MR fluid valve. Such an expression is useful because it
allows one to estimate the necessary size of the device and determine feasibility prior
to developing a detailed engineering design. For many of the most widely used
standard commercial MR fluids this expression takes the particularly simple form:
 MR Fluids and Devices in the Real World 1467

i
41%
40%
36%
32%
22%

X
241DS
140ND -"
335AG *"
A 132LD
* .*""" *r" ,-*-'
O 122FD
,
^\^-
.Q O
Q. .. -

/ _ _. .JO- "

'j* -5""
Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 2005.19:1463-1470. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

$*
A-r^~
by CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY on 10/15/14. For personal use only.

50 1Q0 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

H(MMn)

Figure 1 - Measured and predicted yield strength versus magnetic field strength several typical MR fluids.

40%

..---"""'""
20%
..--""
140ND

132LD
_...--- -"'"'

^~^
A 120FD rM*
"
V J* ^ ^ ^ - j r "

'*/ ^

Figure 2 - Measured and predicted B versus magnetic field strength several typical MR fluids.

F \
V =a Fon- Speed -10 -10 (4)
off J
In this expression, forces are in N (or torques in N-m), speed in m/s (or rad/s) and
Vmin in m3. The constant a equals 1 for direct shear devices and equals ~2 for valve-
mode devices. This approximation is valid for any MR fluid having T^R /TJ that is
on the order of 1010 Pa/s. Examples of such fluids are Lord MRF-122ES, MRF-
132AD and MRF-336AG (15-17). The minimum active fluid volume estimated by
Eq. 4 is generally accurate to within about a factor of 2.
For valve-mode devices the estimated minimum active fluid volume of Eq. 4
can be used to make a further estimate of the overall size of the MR fluid valve.
Base on experience with a wide spectrum of MR fluid devices ranging from tiny
laboratory dampers to very large dampers for earthquake damage mitigation, we
have found that the overall size of a well designed and magnetically efficient MR
fluid valve is 25 to 50 times the minimum active fluid volume. Thus:
 1468 J. D. Carlson

Vmhe~(25-50)*Vmin (5)
Kaive comprises all the materials that make up the valve and magnetic circuit
including active MR fluid, copper coil windings and steel poles and magnetic flux
conduits. For a well-designed MR fluid damper having a valve in the piston, Vmin
is essentially the total volume of the damper piston. Thus, without having an a priori
detailed knowledge of the device geometry one is still able to estimate the overall
size of the MR valve and make an initial determination of feasibly. The critical
pieces of information that one needs to accomplish this are:

1. Fon- minimum "on-state" force or torque needed (N or N-m).

2. F0ff- maximum "off-state" force or torque that may be tolerated (N or N-m).
Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 2005.19:1463-1470. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

3. Speed - maximum speed or angular velocity for F0jf (m/s or rad/s).

by CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY on 10/15/14. For personal use only.

5 MR Device Design

Design of an efficient and high performing MR fluid device requires one to

simultaneously consider many factors. These include: specific MR fluid properties;
size, weight and shape constraints; required forces or torques (on-state and off-state);
nonlinear magnetic properties and magnetic saturation; an efficient electromagnet
including fringing, and boundary loss considerations; fluid dynamics including
dynamic pressures and Reynolds number; electrical constraints such as voltage,
current and inductance limits; durability of seals, fluid and bearings; thermal
expansion; and, ultimately, manufacturability and cost.
As anyone who has attempted to design MR devices well knows, optimization
of the many and various device parameters to achieve a MR device that
simultaneously achieves a high on-state, and low off-state with a compact, low
power but fast-responding electromagnet can be a challenge. In attempting such an
optimization one might be attempted to approach it as an inverse problem wherein
the optimum MR fluid valve geometry, magnetic field and MR fluid properties that
result in desired on- and off-state forces are determined. Solving such an inverse
problem turns out to be extremely difficult if not impossible and generally does not
lead to a unique solution. In contrast, the direct problem wherein the resultant on-
state and off-sate forces for a given set of MR fluid valve geometry, magnetic field
and specific MR fluid properties is straightforward. Such a direct approach is
eminently tractable and amenable to a "what if?" spreadsheet approach that
explicitly and simultaneously takes into account the nonlinear magnetic properties of
MR fluid and associated steel elements, the nonlinear dependence of MR yield
strength on magnetic field, and the vastly different functional dependence of on-state
and off-state pressure on MR valve geometry. With such a direct spreadsheet
approach one can input a set of starting parameter, calculate resultant device
performance and then, with a modicum of experience, adjust the parameters to
achieve desired performance while meeting all of the necessary geometric and
electrical constraints. An example of such a spreadsheet tool for a basic axi-
symmetric MR fluid valve is shown in Figure 3. An example of a more complex
MR design spread sheet for a multi-stage, double-ended MR damper is shown if
Figure 4. In both of these cases tan analytic solution to the Phillip's cubic equation
as well as Dr. Dave's empirical equations for the yield strength and magnetic
 MR Fluids and Devices in the Real World 1469

properties of MR fluid, the magnetic behavior of low-carbon steel and the electrical
properties of copper magnet wire are embedded into the spreadsheet.
j 1 nput Pa ramet e r s
Basic Piston & MR Fluid Valve ^ i^.
|vMume Fraction 0-32
Hgap 15Q: kft*n
[Viscosity 0.15 Pa-3

ininnki -....:....,,.J..I_. jV&na K ) 025 mfe

L IDpistari 37,6 IWB

35 7 mm
23.5mm
3 SHIi
j * ' f fl * pews 2O.0mm
i ;:;:;^ i,. SSflim
! :! \v& r - t - - 0.0 mm
Tsfl 1.0 mm
| J 5 ^ *
Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 2005.19:1463-1470. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

Jcurrsnt 1 A
[ W e Gauge 2SMWVB
by CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY on 10/15/14. For personal use only.

j :
* t u w w i i !* i> )*-- J f i r i-
| J i>m.iiri| 1 " I'M
= |E:S/"='"""-'"""^"""'sii^j ffi&Vp----- v/; 20 -
WM::::::::::::t:::::::iMt

j : I.J
:-.ji

w*L
J>' '8. |

L.1-.H k>!
l.-.iaaf

L_E
* :.

1-
" i.o -
|>-flH;:;l:::

1 Comments: _^_~~-T"~~~
^^i--*^*. |
0.0 -
0 0.1 D 3D
*J
SfiKitteheet Utxteteel atfcjtfflM, jdc

Figure 3 - Basic design spreadsheet for axi-symmetric MR fluid valve.

input Parameters:
Double-Ended MR Damper volume fraction

Vlscosily
Saal Frlotfart

Opiston
Dshatt

....., Quote
...............^..p..^.;iii..iii.^.

Jv-

I****?* 1 fort[tve | -^r- .......

j^"J&F~ ; Ti.r :.'.;>.'tLRi " ' I

|,.,....,.,.,.j,...,.^.^..^ U:^?^'?^ U,wi to,* I!M ' : . :

|".1 ^ ; r ="="='
"# ^< Pg*# | 1

u>*
pt* ii-1"
L ?ari
|;;;pipiifp$;; ^esstiKr;
1 R43W& 1
'
fx-esitsbeet Updated Ms A

Figure 4 - Design spreadsheet for a multi-stage, doubled-ended MR damper.

6 Conclusion

Automotive applications of MR fluid are significant and growing rapidly. Annual

production of MR fluid is now on the order of hundreds of tons. The number of MR
 1470 J. D. Carlson

devices presently in use worldwide is estimated to be greater than 105. This number
is expected to rise into the millions as more automotive platforms adopt MR fluid
based suspension systems and a MR fluid based fan clutch for light trucks is
realized. A set of empirical equations is introduced that describe yield strength and
magnetic properties of virtually any MR fluid as a function of iron particle volume
fraction, carrier fluid type and magnetic field intensity. An estimate of the size of an
MR fluid device can be made without having advance knowledge of the specific
details based only on the desired on-state and off-state forces and speed of operation.
Finally, MR fluid device design spread sheets are introduced that allow for the
simultaneous optimization of all the geometric, fluid and electrical parameters that
mutually interact to control the overall performance of MR devices.
Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 2005.19:1463-1470. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com

References
by CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY on 10/15/14. For personal use only.

1. Design News Editorial, 1995, Design News, 4 December, p 28.

2. J.D. Carlson, J.L. Sproston, 2000, Proceedings of Actuator 2000, 7th Int. Conf.
on New Actuators, 19-21 June, Bremen, Germany, pp 126-130.
3. J.D. Carlson, 2003, Proceedings of the 3rd World Conference on Structural
Control, Vol. 1, 7-11 April, Como, Italy, F Casciati, Ed., Chichester: John
Wiley, 2003, pp 227-236.
4. Lord Corporation, 1996, Rheonetic Magnetic Fluid Systems, Publication No.
PB8003,ppl-10.
5. S.J. McManus, K.A. St. Clair, 2000, SAE Technical Paper Series, No. 2000-01-
3408, Truck and Bus Meeting and Exposition.
6. Carrera MagneShock, 1998, Aire Industries, Atlanta, GA.
7. Delphi Energy & Chassis Systems, 2002, Pub. DE-OO-E-019 02/02,
http://www. delphi. com/pdfA/pr/Maanaride. pdf.
8. General Motors Corp., 2002.
9. H. Halverson, 2003, The Idaho corvette Page, CV World Internet Publishing,
http://www. idavette. net/ maqride/.
10. General Motors Corp., 2003.
11. New York Times, 2004, Vol. CLIIL No. 52,810, 5 April, pp A14-A15 (page
numbers may vary slightly in different regions).
12. Popular Science, 2002,
www.popsci.com/popsci/bown/article/0.16106.388074.00.html.
13. D. Guilford, 2003, Automotive News, 22 Dec. 2003, pp 10.
14. L.C. Yanyo, 2003, Lord Corporation, private communication.
15. Lord Corp. Rheonetic MRF-122-2ED. Product Bulletin No. 2002-41-0, 2002
16. Lord Corp. Rheonetic MRF-132AD. Product Bulletin No. 2003-15-1, 2003.
17. Lord Corp. Rheonetic MRF-336AG. Product Bulletin No. 2003-16-0,2003.
18. Lord Corp. Rheonetic MRF-241ES. Product Bulletin No. 2002-14-0, 2002.
19. J. D. Carlson, "What Makes a Good MR Fluid", Journal of Intelligent Material
Systems and Structures, 13 (2003) 431-435.
20. J. D. Carlson, MR Technology Workshop - Chapter 6, Lord Corporation, Cary
(2004) pp 6/9-6/10.
21. J. D. Carlson, D. M. Catanzarite and K. A. St. Clair, "Commercial Magneto-
Rheological Fluid Devices", Int. J. Mod. Physics B, 10 (1996) 2857-2865.
22. J. D. Carlson, "Magnetorheological Fluid Actuators", chapter in Adaptronics
and Smart Materials, H. Janocha, ed., Springer Verlag, Berlin (1999) 180-195.