An Experimental Study of Electro-Rheological Torque Transmission

The electro-rheological (ER) effect is the name given to the phenomenon whereby the resistance to flow of certain special fluids can be controlled through the application of an electric field. To examine the utilization of ER fluids for torque transmission an experimental facility has been designed and constructed. This paper describes, in detail, the test facility and presents the results of a series of experiments to determine the torque transmission characteristics as a function of voltage and fluid temperatures. The results are analyzed to provide guidelines to assist in the development of practical ER devices.