Effect of Components on Friction Property of Carbonyl Iron-Based Magnetorheological Fluid

Magnetorheological (MR) fluid has been widely used in many engineering field because of its unique magnetorheological effect. However, the poor lubrication of it needs to be considered seriously. Otherwise, the engineering applicability of MR fluid may be hindered. The friction property of several MR fluids based on different components was investigated on a modified four-ball tester. Two kinds of experimental conditions were designed, namely off-field and steady magnetic field. The results show that tribological properties of MR fluid are mainly decided by base oils. The friction properties of mineral oil-based MR fluid are better than that based on synthetic oil. The effect of two kinds of thixotropic agents on the tribological properties of MR fluid is exact opposite with and without magnetic field. Silica is superior to clay without magnetic field. Under steady magnetic field condition, the friction coefficient of MR fluid is over three times larger than that of MR fluid in off-field. The effect of base oil on the friction property is similar to that without magnetic field. But clay is better than silica due to the effect of magnetic field.