Design, testing and analysis of a novel composite magnetorheological fluid clutch

This article presents a novel composite magnetorheological fluid clutch design that is based on both disc- and cylinder-type clutches. Combining the two types within the clutch, all of the area of the input plate can be used to transmit torque. The transmittable torque can be 1.45 times larger than the existing disc-type clutches with the same input plate diameter. An analysis of the structure created a torque transmission model that produced results consistent with the experimental results. Through the combination of structure analysis and experimental study, the relationship between the magnetic flux leakage coefficient and input current is obtained. The magnetic flux leakage coefficient of the novel structure increases with the input current, reaching a maximum of 2.5. These results can be used for the design of similar clutches.