Analysis and design of a cylindrical magneto-rheological fluid brake

A magneto-rheological (MR) fluid brake is a device to transmit torque by the shear force of an MR fluid. An MR rotary brake has the property that its braking torque changes quickly in response to an external magnetic field strength. In this paper, the design method of the cylindrical MR fluid brake is investigated theoretically. The equation of the torque transmitted by the MR fluid within the brake is derived to provide the theoretical foundation in the cylindrical design of the brake. Based on this equation, after mathematical manipulation, the calculations of the volume, thickness and width of the annular MR fluid within the cylindrical MR fluids brake are yielded. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.