Internal friction-induced heat generation in magnetorheological fluids under shear mode

Magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) inevitably generate heat during operation, which affects its performance. To investigate the mechanism and influencing factors behind heat generation, microscopic numerical simulations of MRFs are performed and a model of internal frictional heat generation in MRFs is developed. Additionally, the heat generation power and temperature rise are acquired for different influencing parameters. The results show that the heat generation is mainly due to the internal friction of MRFs, including the friction between magnetic particles and between particles and drive walls. The heat generation power is positively correlated with magnetic field strength, particle volume fraction, and shear rate, while negatively correlated with particle size. Moreover, the addition of nanoparticles to micrometer MRFs can reduce the temperature rise.