Preparation of magnetorheological elastomers and their applications in precision machining: A review

Abstract

Magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) is a magnetically controlled intelligent material, whose mechanical properties (such as stiffness, elastic modulus, intrinsic frequency, damping capacity, etc.) can be continuously and reversibly controlled by adjusting the strength of the applied magnetic field. It is now widely studied and applied in the fields of vibration control, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, etc. When MRE is made into grinding or polishing tools, the mechanical removal of the process can be controlled by changing the stiffness and other properties of MRE in a magnetic field, which is expected to be widely used in the field of precision machining. In this paper, the materials, the methods and the processes to prepare MRE are introduced, and the influencing rules of external field (including magnetic and temperature fields) on the performance of MRE are analyzed. The intrinsic structure model is described based on magnetic dipole theory and macromechanics, which provides guidance for MRE preparation and practical engineering applications. Besides, the application status and future development direction of MRE in the field of precision machining are reviewed. The variation of magnetically controlled properties using MRE can be better applied to precision machining and has a good development prospect.

Keywords

• magnetorheological elastomer
• magnetorheological effect
• magneto-controlled properties
• precision machining