Electrorheological fluids in dynamic squeeze flow

This paper is concerned with an experimental investigation of the performance of an ER fluid in oscillatory squeeze-flow and the development of a quasi-steady theoretical model in which the rheological behaviour of the fluid is assumed to follow a bi-viscous shear stress/shear rate characteristic. The fluid is sandwiched between two parallel plane electrodes, the upper one fixed and the lower one oscillating normal to its plane. Of particular interest is the temporal variation in the force transmitted through the fluid in response to changes in the oscillation frequency and the applied DC voltage. In addition the paper includes an account of an experimental assessment of the response of the fluid to a step change in applied voltage. Finally the relevance of the work in the application to vibration control in a short-stroke damper is discussed