Development of an Interactive MR Fluid Experiment for Smart Materials Curricula
R. Bannerot and G. Song
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
E-mail: gsong@uh.edu
Abstract: This paper presents the development of an interactive MR (Magneto-Rheological) fluid experiment. The hands-on experiment is developed to introduce MR fluids to students who are interested in this smart fluid. This apparatus is also used as a teaching tool for courses in smart materials. The experiment is designed to show students the basic operations of MR fluids and some common applications. This interactive experiment includes three devices with associated control buttons and all the devices are housed in a clear display case for easy visualization. 1) MR fluid morphing device, which clearly shows the morphing of MR material between fluid and semi-solid with the control of the electromagnet. 2) MR brake, which allow a user clearly feel the change of resistance level of the crank shaft with increasing of current to the electromagnets. 3) Vibration damping using MR fluid damper, which shows that the vibration of a platform induced by a rotating motor with an imbalanced mass can be suppressed by a simple MR fluid damper. This interactive experiment is fully autonomous and has been used in University of Houston. It has been demonstrated that it is an effective tool to assist student to learn MR fluids. |
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