Performance analysis of rotary magnetorheological brake with multiple fluid flow channels

In order to solve the problems of low magnetic field utilization rate and low volume-torque ratio of the traditional magnetorheological (MR) brake under a volume constraint, a rotary MR brake with multiple fluid flow channels was proposed. The magnetic flux was guided into the external axial fluid flow channel by inserting a non-magnetic ring in the middle of the magnetic conduction sleeves which could improve the magnetic circuit structure greatly, the working area where the MR brake producing rheological effect was increased, and the effective damping gaps were also increased from two sections to four sections. The working principle of rotary MR brake was expounded and torque mathematical model was also deduced. The electromagnetic field was modeled and the distribution of magnetic flux density in multiple fluid flow channels was analyzed using finite element method. The prototypes of initial and optimal design were fabricated by using the obtained optimal geometric parameters. An experimental test system was setup to investigate the dynamic performance of the proposed rotary MR brake. The experimental results show that the maximum braking torque and torque ratio of the optimal MR brake are increased by 13.5% and 2.3% compared with the initial MR brake at the applied current of 1.8 A, respectively. At the same time, the variation trend of experimental and simulation results is basically consistent, and the rotational speed has almost no effect on the torque performance, which is conducive to the application of MR brakes under different working conditions.