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Electro Rheological, Magneto Rheological fluids & Piezoelectric Materials

By

Name: Mainak Mitra

USN: 1NT16ME048

SUBJECT : SMART MATERIALS

SUBJECT CODE : 14MEE756
COURSE TYPE : ELECTIVE
Electro Rheological, Magneto Rheological fluids & Piezoelectric Materials

 RHEOLOGY:

Rheology is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in a liquid state, but also
as "soft solids" or solids under conditions in which they respond with plastic
flow rather than deforming elastically in response to an applied force. It is a
branch of physics which deals with the deformation and flow of materials, both
solids and liquids.
Rheology generally accounts for the behavior of non-Newtonian fluids, by
characterizing the minimum number of functions that are needed to relate
stresses with rate of change of strain or strain rates. For example, ketchup can
have its viscosity reduced by shaking (or other forms of mechanical agitation,
where the relative movement of different layers in the material actually causes
the reduction in viscosity) but water cannot. Ketchup is a shear thinning
material, like yogurt and emulsion paint (latex paint or acrylic paint),
exhibiting thixotropy, where an increase in relative flow velocity will cause a
reduction in viscosity, for example, by stirring. Some other non-Newtonian
materials show the opposite behavior, rheopecty: viscosity going up with
relative deformation, and are called shear thickening or dilatant materials.

 APPLICATIONS OF RHEOLOGY:

Rheology has applications in material science, geophysics, human biology and

pharmaceutics. Materials science is utilized in the production of many
industrially important substances, such as cement, paint, and chocolate, which
have complex flow characteristics. In addition, plasticity theory has been
similarly important for the design of metal forming processes. The science of
rheology and the characterization of viscoelastic properties in the production
and use of polymeric materials has been critical for the production of many
products for use in both the industrial and military sectors.

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Electro Rheological, Magneto Rheological fluids & Piezoelectric Materials

 ELECTRORHEOLOGICAL FLUIDS:
Electrorheological (ER) fluids are suspensions of extremely fine non-conducting but
electrically active particles (up to 50 micrometres diameter) in an electrically
insulating fluid. The apparent viscosity of these fluids changes reversibly by an order
of up to 100,000 in response to an electric field.
The change in apparent viscosity is dependent on the applied electric field, i.e. the
potential divided by the distance between the plates. The change is not a simple change
in viscosity, hence these fluids are now known as ER fluids, rather than by the older
term Electro Viscous fluids. The effect is better described as an electric field
dependent shear yield stress. When activated an ER fluid behaves as a Bingham
plastic (a type of viscoelastic material), with a yield point which is determined by the
electric field strength. After the yield point is reached, the fluid shears as a fluid, i.e.
the incremental shear stress is proportional to the rate of shear (in a Newtonian
fluid there is no yield point and stress is directly proportional to shear). Hence the
resistance to motion of the fluid can be controlled by adjusting the applied electric
field. There are two main theories to explain the effect: the interfacial tension or 'water
bridge' theory, and the electrostatic theory.
The water bridge theory assumes a three phase system, the particles contain the third
phase which is another liquid (e.g. water) immiscible with the main phase liquid (e.g.
oil). With no applied electric field the third phase is strongly attracted to and held
within the particles. This means the ER fluid is a suspension of particles, which
behaves as a liquid. When an electric field is applied the third phase is driven to one
side of the particles by electro osmosis and binds adjacent particles together to form
chains. This chain structure means the ER fluid has become a solid. The electrostatic
theory assumes just a two phase system, with dielectric particles forming chains
aligned with an electric field in an analogous way to how magnetorheological
fluid (MR) fluids work. An ER fluid has been constructed with the solid phase made
from a conductor coated in an insulator. This ER fluid clearly cannot work by the
water bridge model. However, although demonstrating that some ER fluids work by
the electrostatic effect, it does not prove that all ER fluids do so.

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Electro Rheological, Magneto Rheological fluids & Piezoelectric Materials

 MAGNETORHEOLOGICAL FLUIDS:
A magnetorheological fluid (MR fluid, or MRF) is a type of smart fluid in a carrier
fluid, usually a type of oil. When subjected to a magnetic field, the fluid greatly
increases its apparent viscosity, to the point of becoming a viscoelastic solid.
Importantly, the yield stress of the fluid when in its active ("on") state can be
controlled very accurately by varying the magnetic field intensity. The upshot is that
the fluid's ability to transmit force can be controlled with an electromagnet, which
gives rise to its many possible control-based applications.
 WORKING PRINCIPLE:
1. The magnetic particles, which are typically micrometer or nanometer scale spheres
or ellipsoids, are suspended within the carrier oil and distributed randomly in
suspension under normal circumstances.

2. When a magnetic field is applied, however, the microscopic particles (usually in the
0.1–10 µm range) align themselves along the lines of magnetic flux.

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Electro Rheological, Magneto Rheological fluids & Piezoelectric Materials

 TYPES OF FLOW MODES:

Depending on the fluid flow and the rheological stress there are three different modes
of MRF operation:
1. Valve mode: It is the most widely used of three modes. Here the two reservoirs
of MR fluid are used and magnetic field is used to impede the flow of MR fluid
from one reservoir to another. Here the flow can be achieved by pressure drop
between reservoirs and flow resistance can be controlled by magnetic field. The
valve mode as an operational mode is used in dampers, shock absorbers.

2. The second operational mode is the direct shear mode. The direct shear mode is
used in brakes and clutches. It differs in operation from squeeze mode due to
moving paramagnetic sliding or rotating surfaces. It has thin layer( 0.015 in.) of
MR fluid sandwiched between paramagnetic surfaces.

3. Squeeze Mode:

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Electro Rheological, Magneto Rheological fluids & Piezoelectric Materials

 MR DAMPERS:
Similar to passive hydraulic dampers, an MR damper consists of a fluid that moves
between different chambers via small orifices in the piston, converting "shock" energy
into heat (see Figure 4). However in an MR damper, an electrical circuit is introduced
in the piston assembly. As electrical current is supplied to the damper, a coil inside the
piston creates a magnetic field and instantaneously changes the properties of the MR
Fluid in the piston (see Figure 5). Consequently, the resistance of the damper can be
continuously changed in real time by modulating electrical current to the dampers.

 MR CONTROL SYSTEMS:
Adaptive suspension systems rely on quick detection of a disturbance and precise
control of the damper for optimal suspension performance. Our control systems
leverage a network of sensors that continuously monitor the driving situation in a
vehicle and send data to the control unit via the CAN bus. The control unit interprets
these signals and regulates electrical current to the damper using sophisticated
proprietary control algorithms. This process occurs continually thousands of times per
second during vehicle operation to ensure the ideal suspension characteristics for the
specific driving condition. LORD has spent decades developing proprietary control
algorithms that optimize the unique capabilities of MR Fluid technology.

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Electro Rheological, Magneto Rheological fluids & Piezoelectric Materials

 MR CLUTCH:
In electromagnetic clutches a MR fluid is located between discs of driving and driven
members. Magnetic field which changes viscosity of MR fluid is generated by the coil
carrying the current I and the permanent magnet (PM) – the hybrid excitation. Thanks
to two sources of magnetic field (coil and PM) the clutch generates clutching torque
TC(I=0) without necessity of supplying the coil. The current I carrying the coil can
decrease (I–) or increase (I+) magnetic field in the gaps with MR fluid, which results in
decreasing the clutching torque TC(I–) or increasing the clutching torque TC(I+).The
MR clutch is located under a special cover, which insulates against external infrared
radiation and enables a natural heat exchange with an environment.

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Electro Rheological, Magneto Rheological fluids & Piezoelectric Materials

 PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS:

Piezoelectricity is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials (such
as crystals, certain ceramics, and biological matter such as bone, DNA and
various proteins) in response to applied mechanical stress. The
word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure and latent heat. The
piezoelectric effect results from the linear electromechanical interaction between the
mechanical and electrical states in crystalline materials with no inversion
symmetry. The piezoelectric effect is a reversible process: materials exhibiting the
piezoelectric effect (the internal generation of electrical charge resulting from an
applied mechanical force) also exhibit the reverse piezoelectric effect, the internal
generation of a mechanical strain resulting from an applied electrical field.
Piezoelectricity is exploited in a number of useful applications, such as the production
and detection of sound, piezoelectric inkjet printing, generation of high voltages,
electronic frequency generation, microbalances, to drive an ultrasonic nozzle, and
ultrafine focusing of optical assemblies. It forms the basis for a number of scientific
instrumental techniques with atomic resolution, the scanning probe microscopies, such
as STM, AFM, MTA, and SNOM. It also finds everyday uses such as acting as the
ignition source for cigarette lighters, push-start propane barbecues, used as the time
reference source in quartz watches, and in amplification pickups for some guitars. The
first demonstration of the direct piezoelectric effect was in 1880 by the brothers Pierre
Curie and Jacques Curie. They combined their knowledge of pyroelectricity with their
understanding of the underlying crystal structures that gave rise to pyroelectricity to
predict crystal behavior, and demonstrated the effect using crystals
of tourmaline, quartz, topaz, cane sugar, and Rochelle salt (sodium potassium tartrate
tetrahydrate). Quartz and Rochelle salt exhibited the most piezoelectricity.

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Electro Rheological, Magneto Rheological fluids & Piezoelectric Materials

 PIEZOELECTRIC MECHANISM:

The nature of the piezoelectric effect is closely related to the occurrence of electric
dipole moments in solids. The latter may either be induced for ions on crystal
lattice sites with asymmetric charge surroundings (as in BaTiO3 and PZTs) or may
directly be carried by molecular groups (as in cane sugar). The dipole density
or polarization (dimensionality [C·m/m3]) may easily be calculated for crystals by
summing up the dipole moments per volume of the crystallographic unit cell. As every
dipole is a vector, the dipole density P is a vector field. Dipoles near each other tend to
be aligned in regions called Weiss domains. The domains are usually randomly
oriented, but can be aligned using the process of poling (not the same as magnetic
poling), a process by which a strong electric field is applied across the material, usually
at elevated temperatures. Not all piezoelectric materials can be poled.
Of decisive importance for the piezoelectric effect is the change of polarization P when
applying a mechanical stress. This might either be caused by a reconfiguration of the
dipole-inducing surrounding or by re-orientation of molecular dipole moments under
the influence of the external stress. Piezoelectricity may then manifest in a variation of
the polarization strength, its direction or both, with the details depending on:
1. The orientation of P within the crystal;
2. Crystal symmetry;
3. The applied mechanical stress. The change in P appears as a variation of
surface charge density upon the crystal faces, i.e. as a variation of the electric
field extending between the faces caused by a change in dipole density in the bulk.
Piezoelectric materials also show the opposite effect, called the converse piezoelectric
effect, where the application of an electrical field creates mechanical deformation in the
crystal.

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Electro Rheological, Magneto Rheological fluids & Piezoelectric Materials

 APPLICATIONS OF PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS:

 Converting Electric Signals to Oscillations
The unique properties of piezoelectric ceramics -becoming elastic as voltage is applied
and generating voltage as impact is applied -are utilized in ceramic filters and
piezoelectric vibrating gyroscopes to help boost functionality in TVs and digital
cameras.
Some crystals generate electrical energy when mechanical stress is applied and deform
when electrical field is applied. Such behavior is called piezoelectric property. Some
ceramics display extraordinary piezoelectric properties. Murata has conducted
extensive research into the piezoelectric properties of ceramics to greatly enhance the
performance of electronic and communications equipment. Murata offers various
piezoelectric products including the CERAFIL ceramic filter, which filters necessary
signals to realize superior image and sound reproduction in televisions and radios; the
CERALOCK timing clock device for microcomputers; piezoelectric sound
components; shock sensors; piezoelectric gyroscopes used for image stabilization in
cameras and for automobile navigation systems; and ultrasonic sensors for back sonar
systems.

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Electro Rheological, Magneto Rheological fluids & Piezoelectric Materials

 PEIZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCER:

The Piezoelectric transducer is an electroacoustic transducer use

for conversion of pressure or mechanical stress into an alternating electrical force. It is
used for measuring the physical quantity like force, pressure, stress, etc., which is
directly not possible to measure.

The piezo transducer converts the physical quantity into an electrical voltage which is
easily measured by analogue and digital meter.

The piezoelectric transducer uses the piezoelectric material which has a special
property, i.e. the material induces voltage when the pressure or stress applied to it.
The material which shows such property is known as the electro-resistive element.

The word piezoelectric means the electricity produces by the pressure. The Quartz is
the examples of the natural piezoelectric crystals, whereas the Rochelle salts,
ammonium dehydration, phosphate, lithium sulphate, dipotassium tartrate are the
examples of the man made crystals. The ceramic material is also used for piezoelectric
transducer.The ceramic material does not have the piezoelectric property. The
property is developed on it by special polarizing treatment. The ceramic material has
several advantages. It is available in different shapes and sizes. The material has the
capability of working at low voltages, and also it can operate at the temperature more
than 3000ºC

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Electro Rheological, Magneto Rheological fluids & Piezoelectric Materials

 PEIZOELECTRIC ACTUATOR:

A piezoelectric actuator converts an electrical signal into a precisely controlled

physical displacement (stroke). If displacement is prevented, a useable force (blocking
force) will develop. The precise movement control afforded by piezoelectric actuators
is used to finely adjust machining tools, lenses, mirrors, or other equipment. A piezo
actuator can be used to control hydraulic valves, act as a small-volume pump or special-
purpose motor, and in other applications requiring movement or force.

In piezo actuators, the piezo effect is of primary use. Elementary piezoelectric

materials change dimensions when a force and/or voltage is applied. That’s why these
types of actuators are highly useful in applications that call for the precise positioning
of mechanical devices — from mirrors on satellites and telescopes to non-magnetic
and miniaturized medical devices.

Plus, since piezoelectric actuators give off little heat and consume almost no power
when operating in an energized state, they’re widely used across a broad selection of
industries, including everything from automotive and defense applications to
scientific instrumentation and ultrasonic machine controls.

Discrete stacks (high-voltage stack actuators) are composite structures made by

stacking separately finished piezoelectric ceramic discs or rings and metal electrode
foils with an adhesive. Operating voltages ranging from 500 V thru 1,000 V are
typical.

Given its simple design, minimal moving parts, no requirement for lubrication to
operate and the high reliability characteristics, the piezoelectric actuator is used in a
variety of industrial, automotive, medical, aviation, aerospace and consumer
electronics applications. Piezo actuators are found in precision knitting machinery and
braille machines. The silent drive characteristics make piezo actuators an excellent
auto focusing mechanism in microphone-equipped video cameras and mobile phones.
Finally, since piezo actuators require no lubrication to operate, they are used in
cryogenic and vacuum environments.

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