Dynamic Simulation And Experiment Analysis Of Magnetorheological Elastomers Sandwich Beams

As a new branch of Magnetorheological (MR) materials, MR elastomers are made of macromolecule polymer such as rubber and iron-magnetic particle. Under the external magnetic field, the macromolecule polymer mixed with iron-magnetic particle are solidified out. MR elastomers have both advantages of magnetorheological materials and elastomers materials, they also are better at controllable and stable performance than magnetorheological fluid materials. After the preparation MR elastomers, we can make them into the structure of sandwich beam, and then changing the magnetic field in order to change the properties of MR elastomers, which can change entire structure for the stiffness and damping characteristics. So we can manufacture semi-active control of adaptive smart structures. But it is not many reports about the MR elastomers used in sandwich structures.The research is supported by the National Natural Science Fundation of China (No. 10802029), to research the dynamic simulation and experiment analysis of magnetorheological elastomers sandwich beams. At first, a dynamics equation is developed for a three layer sandwich beam filled with MR elastomers. By describing the MR elastomers as the viscoelastic materials with controllable complex shear modulus, and using Hamilton principles. The numerical simulations are made to investigate the dynamic characteristics of a MR elastomer sandwich beam subjected to different magnetic field and configuration parameters. The MR elastomers materials are papered by mixing with silicon rubber and hydroxy iron particle in certain proportion with or without magnetic field. Their micro-structure and mechanics properties are investigated. We can make a MR elastomers sandwich beam with the prepared MR elastomers materials. In order to evaluate the vibration control effect of flexible beams with an MR elastomers material layer, the comparison and experimental tests are made to investigate the dynamic characteristics of MR elastomers sandwich beam subjected to different magnetic field and extinction frequency. It is found that the natural frequencies and the model loss factors of the sandwich beam will increase as the applied magnetic fields increase, which can debase entire structure vibration responses and change the natural frequencies. The results indicate that the MR elastomers materials have a significant effect on the vibration suppression of the flexible beams with magnetic field.