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 Smart Materials and Structures

Smart Mater. Struct. 25 (2016) 105037 (11pp) doi:10.1088/0964-1726/25/10/105037

Optimal design of laminated-MRE bearings

with multi-scale model
Shiwei Chen1,2, Xiaojie Wang1,3,4, Ze Zhang1,3, Wenjun Mu3 and Rui Li3,4
1
Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, People’s Republic of China
2
Chongqing Univ Sci&Technol, Academe Math & Phys, Chongqing 400030, People’s Republic of China
3
Chongqing Univ Posts & Telecommunications, Chongqing 400030, People’s Republic of China

E-mail: xjwang@iamt.ac.cn and lirui_cqu@163.com

Received 16 April 2016, revised 29 July 2016

Accepted for publication 5 September 2016
Published 26 September 2016

Abstract
In the design of a laminated magneto-rheological elastomeric bearing (MREB), the passive
rubbers are replaced with composite layers of rubber and MREs. The applied magnetic field,
produced by the built-in electromagnet through the input current, changes the stiffness and
damping of MREs, and thus that of the device. Typically, a good MREB should possess higher
adjustable properties with less activating power in avoiding overheating problem. Thus an
optimized design of MREB should integrate the MRE material design into mechanical and
electromagnetic components to achieve a trade-off between power consumption and adjustability
of stiffness. In this study, we propose a method to analyze and design a laminated MRE bearing,
in which the optimal parameters of materials and mechanical structure of the MRE bearing are
determined. Based on the multi-scale and magneto-mechanical coupling theories, we establish a
multi-scale model for the MRE bearing considering the influence of particle volume fraction,
particle distribution, and thickness of MRE laminated layers on its mechanical performance.
Within the micro-scale analysis, the representative volume unit is used to address the effect of
particle volume fraction and distribution on mechanical and magnetic properties of MRE itself.
Within the macro-scale analysis, we build both mechanical and magnetic models for the
laminated MRE bearing. Based on the theoretical analysis, a laminated MRE bearing with four-
layer MRE is designed and fabricated. The performance of the MRE bearing has been tested by
using MTS test bench. The results are compared with that of model analysis. Both experimental
and theoretical results indicate that optimal design of MREB depends on the MRE’s particle
volume fraction which is related with MREB’s input power limitation.

Keywords: magnetorheological elastomers, laminated-MRE bearings, multi-scale, vibration,

stiffness
(Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)

1. Introduction adjusted independently or optimized for all operating condi-

Conventional elastomeric bearings are made of a number of
rubber layers bonded with thin steel reinforcing plates. They
are stiff in the vertical direction and flexible in the horizontal
direction, which are widely used in building structures or
bridges for vibration reduction [1]. However, due to the
passive properties of the systems, they cannot always be
4
Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.
tions. Recently, a magneto-rheological elastomer (MRE)
based bearing is proposed to overcome these limitations [2–
4]. MREs are composite materials that consist of ferrous
particles and elastomers or rubber-like solids. The particles
inside the matrix interacting mutually after being magnetized
leads to a significant change in MRE’s modulus [5, 6]. The
elastomeric bearing made up of MRE has some advantages
like adjustable stiffness and damping, simple structure and
excellent physical and chemical stability.

0964-1726/16/105037+11$33.00 1 © 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd Printed in the UK

Smart Mater. Struct. 25 (2016) 105037
In the design of a laminated magneto-rheological elas-
tomeric bearing (MREB), the passive rubbers are replaced
with composite layers of rubber and MREs. The applied
magnetic field, produced by the built-in electromagnet
through the input current, changes the stiffness and damping
of MREs, and thus that of the device. Typically, a good
MREB should possess higher adjustable properties with less
activating power in avoiding overheating problem. Thus an
optimized design of MREB should integrate the MRE mat-
erial design into mechanical and electromagnetic components
to achieve a trade-off between power consumption and
adjustability of stiffness.
A suitable mechanical model is needed for the optimal
design of MREB. The key issue is how to model the
mechanical and magnetic coupling properties of the system.
The phenomenological model [7] and FEM analysis [3] are
two main methods used to deal with this problem in recent
studies. In the development of constitutive model of MREB
by using the phenomenological model, the parameters of the
phenomenological model have to be identified through the
experiments; therefore this method is not applicable in the
design procedure. The FEM method could help in analyzing
the magnetic and mechanical design of MREB. However, the
influence of MRE’s micro-structure on magnetic circuit
design is usually not incorporated into the analysis; thus,
the magneto-mechanical coupling behavior has not fully
addressed.
Due to the fact that analyzing the MREB in both macro
and micro scale is necessary for the device design, where in
the macro scale to analyze the MREB structure and in the
micro scale to analyze the MRE properties relating with
particle contents and micro-structures, we propose a multi-
scale analysis and optimization method for the MREB design.
Firstly we will optimize the MREB with respect to MRE
material design. There is an optimal volume particle fraction
that allows MRE to have a largest modulus changing range
[8]. Although work in [8] predicted the optimal volume
fraction of MRE by considering its microstructure under
saturated magnetization condition, the various operation
range and requirements for power limitation of the MREB
device cannot always have MRE working in maximum
magnetization state. Meanwhile, the magnetic permeability
changing with the particles volume fraction of MRE also
affects the magnetic resistance in the MREB. The coupling
effect subsequently influences the optimal design of magnetic
circuit inside MREB.
Secondly we will optimize the MREB’s mechanical
structure to achieve the maximum adjustable stiffness of
MREB with respect to electromagnetic design. The compro-
mise between adjusting stiffness of MREB and power con-
sumption is still not well addressed in the previous studies [2–
4]. In fact, the stiffness adjusting ability is not only related
with the mechanical structure of MREB, but also related with
the microstructure of MRE such as particles volume fraction
and particles arrangement. Either of macro-scale and micro-
scale analysis has not fully explained the relationship between
MREB’s stiffness adjusting ability and activating power
input. Thus, as shown in the figure 1, we establish a
2
S Chen et al
comprehensive model for optimization design of a laminated
MREB by applying the multi-scale and magneto-mechanical
coupling theories considering the influence of particle volume
fraction, particle distribution, and thickness of MRE lami-
nated layers on its mechanical performance. Based on the
theoretical analysis, a laminated MREB with four-layer MRE
is designed and fabricated. The performance of the MREB
has been tested by using MTS test bench. The results are
compared with that of model analysis.
2. Mulit-scale modeling of MREB
As shown in figure 2, a typically schematic structure of
laminated MREB is chosen in the theoretical analysis, which
consists of laminated steel layers, MRE layers, excitation coil,
iron core, and mounting ring. The laminated unit is used to
support the vertical load, and is able to mitigate the lateral
vibration with appropriate lateral stiffness of MREB; while
the excitation unit serves for creating magnetic field to acti-
vate the MRE layers. When the excitation unit is applied with
current, it would generate magnetic field inside MRE. Mag-
neto-induced stress is produced in MRE in the presence of
magnetic field, which gives an adjustable shear modulus to
the MREB. According to the MREB’s working mechanism,
MREB is under the combination influence of magnetic and
mechanical forces.
2.1. Multi-scale mechanical model for MREB
When the bearing suffers from the lateral force, the laminated
unit of MRB shown in figure 3 is the major part that sustains
the shear loadings. We define lateral stiffness of MREB as the
ratio of lateral load to lateral displacement at small shear
deformation.
When MREB is applied with the current, the magnetic
field is produced by the coil inside MREB, where MRE is
influenced by the vertical magnetic flux to change its shear
modulus. According to these assumptions, we build the
macro-scale model of MREB, whose lateral stiffness is:
Ks ⋅ KMRE
KL = Ks + KMRE
. (1 )
Where Ks represents the lateral stiffness of steel layer, and
KMRE represents the lateral stiffness of MRE layer. Because
Ks are larger than KMRE over several orders of magnitude, the
steel layer can be omitted in the calculation, which makes
lateral stiffness KL become:
G MRE (f, B MRE ) prm2
KL » KMRE = ht
, (2 )
where rm represents the radius of MRE layer, ht represents the
total thickness of MRE layers, and GMRE represents the shear
modulus of MRE, which is a function of magnetic flux den-
sity BMRE and particles volume fraction f. GMRE can be
derived by obtaining the stress–strain relations of particles
and matrix within micro scale. The magneto-induced stress
tm, as the result of interaction between particles in the pre-
sence of magnetic field inside MRE, changes with the shear
Smart Mater. Struct. 25 (2016) 105037 S Chen et al

Figure 1. Comprehensive model for MREB.

Figure 4. Representative volume unit model for MRE.

both are isotropic elastic material. However, as shown in

Figure 2. MREB structure and its working condition.
figure 4, MRE is fiber-reinforced composite, of which the
chain structure is determined by the shape and arrangement of
reinforced fiber. And reinforced fiber can be regarded as
particle-reinforced composite, which is made up of matrix and
particles uniformly distributed inside it. We use Mori–Tanaka
method [9] to obtain the shear force of reinforced fiber Ḡ .
10G 0 (4G 0 + 3K0 )(G 1 - G 0 )
G¯ = G 0 + f
10G 0 (4G 0 + 3K0 ) + 12fm (3G 0 + K0 )(G 1 - G 0 ) f
, (4 )

where G0 is shear modulus of matrix, G1 is the shear modulus

of particles, K0 is the volume modulus of particles, ff stands
for the fraction that particles accounts for in the reinforce fiber
and fm is the fraction that matrix accounts for in the rein-
forced fiber. The shear modulus along the chain direction of
MRE is derived by the mixing theory of composites:
Figure 3. Mechanical model for MREB.
Gz = G 0 (1 - fc) + G¯ * fc , (5 )
strain g. So the GMRE can be described as: where fc is the fraction that reinforce fiber account for in the
¶t ¶ (tz + tm ) ¶tz ¶tm MRE. In this paper, we assumed that interval d0 between
G MRE = ¶g
= ¶g
= ¶g
+ ¶g
= Gz + Gm, (3 ) neighboring particles is fixed in the MRE, then the fc, ff and
fm can be derived as:
where Gz is the zero-field modulus that is independent on
magnetic field and Gm is magneto-induced modulus which is fc =
3d 03
f, ff =
4pr 3
, fm = 1 -
4pr 3
. (6 )
4pr 3 3d 03 3d 03
a function of magnetic field.
When no magnetic field is applied, the MRE can be Where r stands for the particle radius, f stands for particles
regarded as two-phase composite, where matrix and particles volume fraction of MRE.

3
Smart Mater. Struct. 25 (2016) 105037 S Chen et al

stress [10] (g < 0.1):

⎛ 3Æ (g 2 - 2) ∣m∣2 ⎞
¶2⎜ 2 ⎟
⎝ 2p meff m 0 d r0 (1 + g ) ⎠
3 3 2 5/2
¶ 2U
Gm = =
¶g 2 ¶g 2
f J 2p d 03
» , (9 )
2meff m 0 r 3

where Jp represents the particles polarization.

Figure 5. Magnetic dipole in MRE.
On the other hand, MRE’s magneto-induced modulus is
related to the changing of internal energy which caused by
interaction among the particles under magnetic field, and the
changing of internal energy depends on spatial distribution of
particles in MRE. Since Jolly et al [10] firstly studied a single
chain model assuming different spatial distribution of particles in
MRE, a few of particle chain models have been proposed for
improving its accuracy, such as in-plane multi chain model [11],
in-plane zigzag chain model [12] and cubic spatial distribution
model [13, 14]. Comparing with the single chain model, those
improved models possess the advantage in explaining the
phenomenon of magnetic-induced tensile modulus [14] and the
magnetostrictive [15] in MREs. However, the single chain
model has been shown that it is simple and accuracy enough in
predicting magnetic-induced shear modulus of the MREs
[10, 16]. Therefore, in this study, the signle chain model is
adopted, and the particles in figure 4 are modeled as magnetic
dipole shown in figure 5. Here, we only consider magnetic
interaction between adjacent particles, and magnetic field created
by the particles in the far-field is weak, which can be ignored.
When the magnetic field is applied along the chain
direction, the particles are saturated, and the interaction
energy E12 between two neighboring particles is described as:
2.2. Multi-scale magnetic model for MREB
In above section, the magneto-induced shear modulus of
MRE is derived as a function of particles volume fraction and
magnetic polarization of particles. However, polarization is a
model parameter that is difficult to be measured directly.
According to the definition of polarization of particles, Jp is
the vector sum of magnetic dipole moment, which is related
with magnetic flux density BMRE of MRE.
According to the magnetic model of MRE for the polar-
ization of particles [10]. The particles are magnetized in the
presence of magnetic field. The extent of MRE’s saturation can
be determined by the ratio of saturated region to unsaturated
region. When MRE is applied with a magnetic field, the mag-
netization occurs inside the particles and creates another induc-
tion field. All the induction fields together contributes to the
magnetic flux density of MRE, which can be described as:
B MRE = m 0 H + JMRE , (10)
where JMRE represents the polarization of MRE, which is the
vector sum of dipole moment inside MRE in the presence of
magnetic field. Seeing that the polymer matrix approximately is
magnetic insulator, the polarization of MRE JMRE is determined
by the polarization of particles inside it

⎡ JMRE = f Jp. (11)

1 m1 ⋅ m2 - 3 (m1 ⋅ r12 )(m2 ⋅ r12) ⎤
E12 = ⎢
4pmeff m 0 ⎣
⎥, (7 )
∣r12∣3 ⎦ According to the saturation model, the integration on the satu-
rated and unsaturated region is divided with volume of particle
where m1, m2 are the adjacent magnetic dipoles and their to get the polarization of particles
absolute value are equal to m, r12 stands for distance between
particles, meff stands for the relative permeability of MRE and 3 ⎛
s r ⎞
m0 is the permeability of vacuum. Equation (7) describes the Jp = ò
⎜
2pr 3 ⎝ 0
Jx p (r 2 - x 2) dx + òs Js p (r 2 - x 2) dx⎟ ,
⎠
interaction energy between adjacent particles, and the total
(12)
magnetic energy of MRE is the sum of interaction energy
between particles. According to the geometrical relation
where Js is the polarization density of saturated particles, Jx
between particles and matrix, the particles volume fraction is
stands for the polarization density at distance x within the
derived, and the internal energy density U of the whole MRE
unsaturated region of particles. s is length of the unsaturated
can be presented as:
region of particle. Considering equations (10)–(12), the rela-
n ⋅ E12 tionship between magnetic flux density and polarization density
U= , (8 )
Vc is derived
where n stands for the quantity of particles inside MRE, Vc 3 3
a B MRE + (1 - a 3) Js
stands for the total volume of MRE. According to free energy Jp = 2
3
(13)
method, magneto-induced shear stress is obtained by taking 1 + 2 Æa 3
the derivation of equation (8) with respect to small shear
strain g, with respect to whom magneto-induced shear mod- a = s/r standing for the magnetized portion of particles is a
ulus is derived by the derivation of magneto-induced shear function of BMRE, which can be solved from following equation

4
Smart Mater. Struct. 25 (2016) 105037 S Chen et al

of MREB is composed as two part, one part is the

Re=R1+R3+R4+R5, stand for unchanged part of reluc-
tance in magnetic circuit of MREB, the other part is the variant
reluctance of the MRE, which is a function of relative magnetic
permeability of MRE.
To investigate the relative magnetic permeability of
MRE, the micro-scale model as shown in figure 4 is estab-
lished, where the microstructure and particles volume fraction
are involved in the study. Assuming that the particles are
uniformly organized in the reinforced fiber, and no field
penetration between particles occurs, μeff can be derived as:
Figure 6. Model of magnetic circuit for MREB. meff = m m (1 - fc) + mer fc , (17)

when particle structured in MRE like the chain [10]: where μer is the effective relative permeability of reinforced fiber,
which can be derived by Maxwell–Garnett method [17, 18]:

a»
3 - 2f + (3 - 2f)2 + 12 2f - ( 4B MRE
3f Js ). (14)
mer = m m + 3ff m m m
mp - mm
p + 2m m - ff (m p - m m )
, (18)
6
where μp stands for effective relative permeability of ferromag-
netic particles, which is a kind of soft magnetic material with
According to equations (9) and (13), the magnetic flux narrow magnetic hysteresis loop, then it can be described with
density BMRE will determine the magneto-induced shear Frohlich–Kennelly model [19]
modulus Gm, while the BMRE is determined by the input
⎛ m jcH ⎞
power and magnetic conductive property of MREB system. d ⎜ j +0 ms cp H + H⎟
dB p ⎝s 0 p ⎠
Thus, we build a magnetic circuit model for MREB in macro- mp = m 0 dH
=
scale (shown in figure 6). Assuming that the circuit without dH (19)
j2s cp
magnetic leakage is series connected, and the components of = + 1,
(js + m 0 cp NI)2
MREB is modeled as the magnetic reluctances, where
reluctance of mounting ring, MRE layer, steel layer, iron core where cp is a constant, which stands for the magnetic suscept-
air gap are R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, respectively. Magneto-motive ibility of ferromagnetic particles, Bp stand for the magnetic flux
force of MREB is F=NI and the magnetic field intensity is density of ferromagnetic particles.
H = NI /L, magnetic flux is Ф = NI /Rm , where N is the
number of turns for coil, I stands for the current intensity, L 2.3. Comprehensive model for MREB
represents the length of iron core. It should be note that
magnetic flux F that flowing through every components of According to multi-scale mechanical and magnetic model for
MRB is constant, and the magnetic flux density BMRE of MREB in sections 2.1 and 2.2, considering equations (15)–
MRE is derived by dividing the cross-sectional area of MRE (19), we acquire the relation between magnetic flux density
and structure parameters of MREB
NI
B MRE = , (15) B MR E =
NIm 0 meff
, (20)
Rm 2prm2
h t + R e prm2 m 0 meff

where N is the number of turns for coil, I stands for the where μeff is a function of particle volume fraction f, which
current intensity and Rm represents the total magnetic can be numerical solved by the following explicit equation:

j2s cp + (1 - m m)(js + m 0 cp HMRE)2

meff = 3f m m , (21)
j2s cp + (1 + 2m m)( js + m 0 cp HMRE)2 - 4pr 3 (j2s cp + (1 - m m)( js + m 0 cp HMRE)2 ) / 3d 03

ht
reluctance of each components of MREB HMRE = NI . (22)
R e meff m 0 prm2 + h t
ht
Rm = R1 + + R3 + R 4 + R5
meff m 0 prm2
(16)
= Re +
ht
, By substituting equations (20) and (6) into (9), we get the
meff m 0 prm2
magneto-induced shear modulus
where R1 is the magnetic reluctances of mounting ring, R3 is the 2
magnetic reluctances of mounting ring, R4 is the magnetic
Gm »
fd 03 ( 3 3
2
a B MRE + (1 - a 3) Js ). (23)
reluctances of iron core, and R5 is the magnetic reluctances of 2
mounting ring. In equation (16), the total magnetic reluctance (
2meff m 0 r 3 1 + 2 fa 3
3
)
5
Smart Mater. Struct. 25 (2016) 105037
According to the mechanical model of MREB, the
equations (2), (4) and (23) are combined together to derive the
analytical comprehensive model for the lateral stiffness of
MREB
KL = Km + K0
⎛3 ⎞2
prm2 fd 03 ⎜ a 3B MRE + (1 - a 3) Js ⎟
⎝2 ⎠
= ⎛ ⎞2
3
2h t meff m 0 r 3 ⎜1 + fa 3⎟
⎝ 2 ⎠
⎛ f
0 G 0 (4G 0 + 3K0 )(G 1 - G 0 )
3
15 d
prm2 ⎜G 0 +
⎝ 15d 03 G 0 (4G 0 + 3K0 ) + 8pr 3 (3G 0 + K0 )(G 1 - G 0 ) ⎠
+ ht
where Km represents the magneto-induced lateral stiffness of
MREB, K0 is initial lateral stiffness of MREB. The adjustable
range of stiffness can be written as the ratio of Km to K0.
K
Kre (f, I ) = m
K0
2 ⎛3
prm fd 03 ⎜ a 3B MRE + (1 - a 3) Js⎟
⎝2
= .
⎛ 3 3⎞2 ⎛ f15d 03 G 0 (4G 0 + 3K0 )(G 1 - G 0 )
2h t meff m 0 r ⎜1 + fa ⎟ ⎜⎜G 0 +
3 ⎟⎟
⎝ 2 ⎠ ⎝ 15d 03 G 0 (4G 0 + 3K0 ) + 8pr 3 (3G 0 + K0 )(G 1 - G 0 ) ⎠
It should be noted that the equation (25) includes the particle
volume fraction, and excitation current which is related with
input power of MREB and will be discuss in the next chapter.
When the structure and material of MREB is determined, the
adjustable lateral stiffness of MREB is only a function of
MREB’s input power and MRE’ particle volume fraction.
3. Optimization design and simulation
In previous section, a comprehensive model for MREB is
established, in which an optimized design can be carried out
to make a trade-off between the power consumption and
MRBE’s adjustability. In this section, an optimization strat-
egy for MREB is introduced and some simulation results are
presented and discussed.
3.1. Optimization strategy for MREB
As a controllable vibration isolator, the current is introduced
to activate the MREB. It inevitably generates electrical heat
inside the device, and the input electrical power Pw can be
obtained as:
Pw = I 2R,
where I is the current applied into MREB, R is the total
resistance of coils. The optimization for MREB is to increase
MRB’s adjustability in lateral stiffness with a limited input
electrical power. Thus the MREB’s adjustable range of lateral
stiffness is set to be the optimization goal, and the particles
volume fraction is the optimization variable. By altering the
particle volume fraction, the adjustable range of lateral stiff-
ness is optimized to be the largest, and the optimization object
S Chen et al
⎞
⎟
,
(24)
Figure 7. Simulation on MRE’s adjustability over different particles
volume fraction with the different MREB’s input power.
function is written as:
⎞2
⎠
Max Kre ( Pw, Æ)
⎞
(27)
(0w  Pw  58.5w ) and (0  f  0.4) ,
(25)
where optimization constraints are electrical power Pw and
particles volume fraction f. In this design constrain, the
maximum heat loss of electrical power for the proposed
MREB is 58.5 W. We simulate the adjustable range of stiff-
ness at different particle volume fractions of MREs within 0.0
and 0.4, and MRE with particles volume fraction higher than
0.4 is difficult to prepare, which is not included in the
simulation. All the parameters used in the simulation are
given in table 1.
The optimization problem presented in this study is not
complicated which can be expressed by the explicit equations.
And it is also a univariate and single goal optimization pro-
blem. To seek the optimal volume fraction of the MRE under
the input power limitation for running the MREB, the para-
metric sweep optimization method is adopted in this paper.
Assuming that the maximum heat loss of electrical power of
MREB is set as 58.5 W, 26 W, 6.5 W respectively, the rela-
tionship between adjustable range of MRB’s lateral stiffness
and particles volume fractions of MRE materials is shown in
figure 7.
It is obvious that MRE’s optimal particle volume fraction
depends on the power limitation of the MREB system. If the
maximum heat loss of electrical power of MREB is set
58.5 W, the best MRE material should be prepared with
(26) particle volume fraction of 0.11; while for the maximum
electrical power limitation is 26 W and 6.5 W, the corresp-
onding optimal particles volume fraction for MRE is 0.08 and
0.05, respectively. When assuming that there is no limitation
on input electrical power to the MREB, the best performance
of this device is to have the MRE material with particles
volume fraction of 0.25. This result is closed with the work
from Davis [8] who predicted that the optimum particle
volume fraction for the largest fractional change in modulus
of MREs at saturation is 27%.
6
Smart Mater. Struct. 25 (2016) 105037 S Chen et al

Figure 8. (a) Effect of MRE’s particle volume fraction on particle polarization (b) effect of MRE’s particle volume fraction on MRE’s
magnetic flux density.

Table 1. Simulation parameters.

Parameter Value Parameter Value Parameter Value Parameter Value

G0 0.3 (Mpa) ht 30 (mm) mm 1 rm 170 mm
G1 77 (Gpa) m0 4π×10−7 (Gpa) N 1300 d0 0.003 (mm)
K0 8.33 (Mpa) xp 1000 pw 0–58.5 (W) f 0–0.4
r 0.0013 (mm) Js 2.1 (T) Re 70000 (H) Bs 2.1 (T)

3.2. Discussion 4. Experimental validation

With input electrical power limitation, the controllable stiff-
ness of MREB depends on the polarization of particles inside
MRE. However, due to the fact that Jp is not measurable, we
use measurable magnetic flux density BMRE to describe Jp .
The relationships of Jp, BMRE with particles volume fraction
under different input power limitation for the MREB system
are demonstrated in figures 8(a) and (b).
Figures 8(a) and (b) show that Jp is not increased with
particle volume fraction while BMRE does. Although MRE’s
magnetic permeability gets higher when particles volume
fraction is higher, particles inside MRE are easy to be satu-
rated. The magnetic permeability of MRE gradually decreases
during the saturation process of particles, which makes the
particles less magnetized, thus Jp at higher particles volume
fraction is lower than that at lower particles volume fraction.
Both Jp and particles volume fraction would affect adjustable
range of MRE’s shear modulus positively. But it is known
that the Jp is relatively high at low particles volume fraction
of MRE, so it is imperative to look for an appropriate particle
volume fraction of MRE where Jp is proper to maximize the
adjustability of MRB. The arrow in figure 8 indicates the
increasing trend of input power limitation on the MREB.
From which we can tell that increasing input power does
enhance Jp and BMRE at all the particles volume fraction, but
this effect would be getting less at higher particles volume
fractions.
In this section, a laminated MREB with four-layer MRE is
designed and fabricated based on previous model analysis.
MREs with different particle volume fractions are also pre-
pared. The prototype MREB is tested and some experimental
results are obtained to validate the proposed comprehensive
model of MREB.
4.1. The preparation of MRE
According to the proposed MREB design analysis, MREs
with three different particle volume fractions are prepared,
which are 0.05, 0.11, 0.15 respectively. Silicone rubber is
chosen as matrix which is incorporated with iron particles
whose diameter is 3–5 μm. The particles are homogeneously
blended inside matrix, then the mixture including polymer
and particles is cured in the disc type mould under a magnetic
field of 0.8 T measured by a tesla meter, where MREs are
finally become cylinder-like samples with thickness of
7.5 mm, diameter of 30 mm, as shown in figure 9.
4.2. Components of MREB and its assembly
The prototype MREB is designed and fabricated based on the
model structure of MREB shown in figure 1. The stainless
steel is used for the mounting ring, because its low magnetic
permeability and hard-deforming property make it able to
reduce the magnetic loss of the circuit and enhance the load-

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Smart Mater. Struct. 25 (2016) 105037
Figure 9. MRE samples with particle volume fraction of 0.05,
0.11, 0.15.
carrying capacity. The steel layers are also made of stainless
steel to promote the magnetic flux flowing through MRE, and
help MREB with more vertical stiffness. The coils winded by
the insulated wire are connected with electrical power supply
where the current is applied. The diameter of wire is 0.5 mm,
and the coil has 1300 turns with reluctance of 6.5Ω. The
current flows in the coil creating the magnetic field inside
MREB, and the larger input current, the higher the intensity
of magnetic field. However, the heat would inevitably be
produced if the current flows through the coil, which would
heat the device. Considering the wire’s endurance on heat, the
maximum input current of proposed MREB is 3A, where the
maximum input electrical power is limited to 58.5 W. The
iron core with high magnetic permeability and low hysteresis
is arranged inside the coil to enhance the magnetic perfor-
mance of MREB. The MRE layers are firmly attached to the
steel layers by adhesive, and stack alternatively as shown in
figure 10(b). The photo of the assembled MREB is shown in
figure 10(a).
4.3. Dynamic test of MREB
The measurement of the lateral stiffness of MREB has been
carried out using MTS-858 bionix dynamic test system shown
in figure 11. Both lower and upper mounting rings of MREB
are fixed to the clamps. The shear displacement is applied by
the robotic arm. The electrical current to activate the MREB is
applied by the direct current (DC) source. The lateral stiffness
of MRB can be altered by adjusting the power supply for DC
input. When the bearing is set on its side, an upward pre-
tension force is needed to compensate the weight of upper
mounted ring, ensuring that the laminated unit stays in the
balancing position. When preparation for the dynamic test is
ready, the upper robotic arm provides a vertical movement.
The force response is collected by the force transducer, and
uploaded to a computer for obtaining a relationship between
force and displacement of MREB.
In the dynamic test, the displacement excitations including
three amplitudes of 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm and 2.0 mm with three
different frequencies of 0.2 Hz, 1.0 Hz and 2.0 Hz are exerted
on the MREB to obtain the force–displacement relationship of
the device, repectively. The input electric current of 0.0, 0.5,
1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 Amps corresponding to the electrical
8
S Chen et al
Figure 10. A prototype of MREB (a) assembly (b) coil unit (c) inner
structure.
power of 1.6, 6.5, 14.6, 26.0, 40.6, and 58.5 W is applied to
active MREB for each test. When a set of experiment is done,
new MRE layers with different particle volume fraction will
replace the old ones in the MREB, the same testing procedure
will be performed to evaluate the effect of particle contents of
MREs on the device.
4.4. Results
Figures 12(a)–(c) show typical force–displacement relation-
ship of the MREB, for different applied currents, with a
constant amplitude of harmonic excitation at a frequency of
0.2 Hz,1.0 Hz and 2.0 Hz, respectively. It can be seen that in
addition to the increase in the areas of the force–displacement
loops with input currents, the slope of major axis for these
loops also increases, which indicates that there is an apparent
stiffness increment due to the applied magnetic field. In order
to ensure the test machine (MTS-858) fully loaded during
operation, we apply −1 mm pre-displacement on the MREB.
This initial test position does not affect the shapes, areas and
slopes of the force–displacement curves as presented in
figures 12(a)–(c), but the initial value of the force for different
tests would have minor various. That is the reason why three
curves in figures 12(a)–(c) showing asymmetric.
From the force–displacement relationships, we can get
the stiffness of the MREB under different test conditions. For
the MRE sample with particle volum fraction of 11%, the
stiffness of the MREB are shown in figure 13, which is a
function of excitation amplitude, frequency and applied cur-
rent. We can see that the major effect on the stiffness change
is the applied current.
Since the proposed comprehensive model of MREB is
based on static analysis, experimental results obtained from
the low frequency of 0.2 Hz and amplitude of 2 mm are
selected for the comparisons. The results about stiffness and
input power relationship are illustrated in figure 14, where
three curves are the data when the particle volume fractions of
MRE are 0.05, 0.11, and 0.15 respectively. It can be seen
from figure 14 that simulation results from comprehensive
model match well with experimental data. The error may stem
from the minor distortion of experimetal curves when
Smart Mater. Struct. 25 (2016) 105037 S Chen et al

Figure 11. Experimental setup (a) test system configuration (b) photo of the real test system.

Figure 12. Experimental results of the force–displacement relationship of the MREB with applied currents of 0.0, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 Amps at at
a constant amplitude of 2.0 mm and frequencies of (a) 0.2 Hz, (b) 1.0 Hz and (c) 2.0 Hz.

deriving the stiffness of the MREB, and the magnetic loss that
is not considered in the comprehensive model.
In figure 15, we ploted both simulation and experimental
results of the adjustable range of MREB’s lateral stiffness as a
function of particle volume fraction of MREs for different
maximum input power constraints. The adjustable range of
stiffness is defined as the ratio of the the magneto-induced
stiffness to the initial stiffness of the device. We can see that
when MRE particles volume fraction are 0.05, 0.11, 0.15, and
maximum input power limitation is 58.5 W, the testing data
for the adjustable range of MREB’s stiffness is 0.24, 0.40 and
0.36 respectively, which are comparable with simulation
results. Other two curves for the power limitations of 6.5 W
and 26 W are also shown in figure 15, respectively. The
experimental results show the adjustable range of lateral
stiffness of MREB as a function of the particle volume
fraction of MRE falling into the trend of theoretical curves,
which indicates that the comprehensive model is valid in
predicting the adjustability of MREB’s stiffness.
5. Conclusions
We propose a multi-scale model for MREB to illustrate its
magneto-mechanical coupling behavior, which is also known
as comprehensive model. Based on this analytical model, we
design an optimization strategy to obtain the relationship

9
Smart Mater. Struct. 25 (2016) 105037
Figure 13. Measured stiffeness of MREB for various amplitudes,
frequencies and applied currents (Note: the MRE sample used in
these tests having 11% particle volume fraction).
Figure 14. Simulation and experimental results of MREB’s stiffness
changes with input electrical power for different MRE’s particle
volume fraction of 0.05, 0.11, 0.15.
Figure 15. Simulation and experimental results on MREB adjust-
ability verse particles volume fraction of MRE with maximum input
power limitations.
10
S Chen et al
between adjustability of MREB and its input power in terms
of the particle volume fraction in MREs.
We designed and tested a prototype MREB to validate the
comprehensive model of MREB. Experiments and simulation
results for the relationship of MRE’s particles volume fraction
and MREB’s lateral stiffness are well matched, which
demonstrates that the comprehensive model is able to describe
the magneto-mechanical coupling behavior accurately.
Both experimental and simulation data indicate that
MRE’s optimal particle volume fraction are related with
MREB’s input power. When maximum input power is set to
be 58.5 W, 26 W, 6.5 W, the corresponding optimal particle
volume fraction of MRE for MREB is 0.11, 0.08, 0.065
respectively, and the MRE with 0.11 would have the best
performance for the proposed MREB with input power
of 58.5 W.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Nature Science
Foundation of the People’s Republic of China (Projects
NO.11372366, NO.11572320, and NO.11502038). Research
is also supported by Chongqing Outstanding Youth Founda-
tion (No.cstc2014jcyjjq40004) and Scientific and Technolo-
gical Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education
Commission (Grant No.KJ1401335).
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