In this book, the author presents the results of an investigation into the response of electrorheological fluid-filled laminate beams in forced oscillation. He employs the standard Oberst test to explore the viscoelastic behavior of the laminates.

This is the first book to present a model, based on rational mechanics of electrorheological fluids, that takes into account the complex interactions between the electromagnetic fields and the moving liquid. Several constitutive relations for the Cauchy stress tensor are discussed. The main part of the book is devoted to a mathematical investigation of a model possessing shear-dependent viscosities, proving the existence and uniqueness of weak and strong solutions for the steady and the unsteady case. The PDS systems investigated possess so-called non-standard growth conditions. Existence results for elliptic systems with non-standard growth conditions and with a nontrivial nonlinear r.h.s. and the first ever results for parabolic systems with a non-standard growth conditions are given for the first time. Written for advanced graduate students, as well as for researchers in the field, the discussion of both the modeling and the mathematics is self-contained.

Leading experts provide a timely overview of the key developments in the physics, chemistry and uses of magnetorheological fluids.

These two volumes contain chapters written by experts in such areas as bio and food rheology, polymer rheology, flow of suspensions, flow in porous media, electrorheological fluids, etc. Computational as well as analytical mathematical descriptions, involving appropriate constitutive equations deal with complex flow situations of industrial importance. This work is unique in that it brings together state of the art reviews and recent advances in a variety of areas, involving viscoelastic materials, in a desirable and timely manner.

ERMR 2006 included invited speakers, technical presentations, poster presentations, and a student paper competition. At the conference banquet, Dr. David Carlson of Lord Corporation addressed the conference attendees and gave a stirring speech on the history of ER and MR fluids, as well as current and future applications. A unique feature of the ERMR Conferences is that they comprehensively cover issues ranging from physics to chemistry to engineering applications of ER and MR materials held in a general session to enhance the interaction between the scientists and engineers. The sessions in ERMR 2006 were organized based into two Symposia: a) Materials and b) Applications. Topics covered in the Materials Symposium included: mechanisms, preparation, and characterization of ER and MR materials. Topics covered in the Applications Symposium included: ER and MR devices, control systems, system integration, and applications. This structure was implemented in order to enable interaction between attending scientists and engineers in both the Materials Symposium and the Applications Symposium, and to enhance the free flow of ideas, and the potential collaborative research opportunities. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: Transient Behavior of Electrorheological Fluids in Shear Flow (471 KB). Contents: The Physical Mechanism to Reduce Viscosity of Liquid Suspensions (R Tao); Polar Molecular Type Electrorheological Fluids (K Lu et al.); Yield Stress in Ferrofluids? (H Shahnazian & S Odenbach); The Effect of Dwell Time on the Rheological Behavior of MR Fluids (M Ahmadian & F D Goncalves); The Methods of Measuring Shear Stress of Polar Molecule Dominated ER Fluids (R Shen et al.); Electrosensitive Lubricants (E V Korobko et al.); Study on Characteristics of an Electrorheological Fluid Coupling (Y Meng et al.); On the Control of a MR Torque Transfer Device (M H Elahinia et al.); Comparison of ERF Clutch Designs (D J Ellam et al.); Examination of Throughflow in a Radial ERF Clutch (S M Chen et al.); Two-Layered Magnetic Fluid Sloshing in a Rectangular Container (S Yoshida et al.); Design of the High-Performance MR Brake and Its Characteristics (T Kikuchi et al.); and other papers. Readership: Mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, physicists, chemists, chemical engineers and materials scientists.

This treatise is a compendium of refereed papers based on invited talks presented at the American Chemical Society Symposium on Electrorheological (ER) Materials and Fluids. ER fluids were first investigated 50+ years ago. These fluids, which change rheology when placed in an electric field, were recognized, from the beginning, for allowing an extremely efficient interface between electrical control and mechanical devices. Critical problems, however, existed with the initial fluids, which prevented them from serious consideration for large-scale applications. While over time some of the critical problems have been solved and activity in ER technology has increased, commercial success has remained elusive. A recent Department of Energy report concluded that a primary reason for the failure to commercialize this promising technology is due to a lack in understanding the physics and chemistry of how the materials work. The goal of the symposium was to address the issue of understanding how ER materials work and how they can be used. One of the outcomes of the symposium, which we hope is conveyed in this book, is a feeling that if the mechanism of ER is to be fully understood and improved, expertise from diverse fields must be applied to the problem.

Covers the field of EAP with attention to all aspects and full infrastructure, including the available materials, analytical models, processing techniques, and characterization methods. This second edition covers advances in EAP in electric EAP, electroactive polymer gels, ionomeric polymer-metal composites, and carbon nanotube actuators.