Magneto-Rheological Technology

and Applications
D. Carlson, B. Marjoram, J. Toscano, D. Leroy,
K. Burson, K. St Clair, A. Kintz
Lord Corporation, Cary USA.
A. Achen
Lord France

Company Confidential

Magneto Rheological Technology

MR History and Patents at Lord

Work on controllable fluids since the 1980s.

Early developments on electro-rheological fluids.

Re-focus on MR fluids due to their robustness and low power requirements.

1990 - 1995: Basic fluid research & patents.

1996: First work on fluid stability and wear.

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Magneto Rheological Technology

MR History and Patents at Lord

Over 110 MR patents worldwide, covering:

1.

Fluid formulations

2.

Production and shipping methods

3.

Fundamental linear and rotary device designs

4.

Control methods and algorithms

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Lord MR Capabilities

MR Commercialization History

1991 - 1996: Device and Application Development

1996: Systems Engineering

1997: Worlds first commercial MR products: MR rotary brake

1998: MotionMaster seat suspension system

1999: Commercial Scale Up

2002: First GM car (Cadillac Seville) commercialized with Lord MRF

containing dampers by Delphi.

2006: 50000 steer-by-wire Tactile Feedback Devices sold since 1999

2006: Annual MRF volume of hundreds of tons

2006: Integrated cab suspension (Air spring, MR damper, electronics)

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Magneto Rheological Technology

MR Technology Basics

MR = magneto-rheological or magnetically responsive

Magneto-rheological fluids consist of micron-sized, magnetic particles

and formulation additives in a liquid carrier

MR fluid in the off state behaves like a Newtonian fluid

(shear stress = viscosity x shear rate)

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Magneto Rheological Technology

LORD MR Fluids Components

Liquid carrier

Mineral oil, synthetic hydrocarbon oil, silicone oil, water, glycols,

Magnetic particle

Carbonyl iron, iron/cobalt alloys, nickel alloys

20-40% by volume

Typical size: 1-10 micron

Other additives
Suspending agents, thixotropes, anti-wear and anti-corrosion additives,
friction modifiers

Formulation depends on the needs of the application!

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Magneto Rheological Technology

MR Technology Basics
Shear Stress

H2

H1 H= f(I)
H=0

viscosity
Shear Rate

Application of a magnetic field changes MR fluid from a liquid state to

a semi-solid state, proportional to the strength of the field applied

MR fluid in the on state behaves like a Bingham plastic (shear

stress = viscosity x shear rate + yield shear stress) = (H) +

Yield shear stress is controlled by the applied field

Viscosity in not affected by the applied field

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Magneto Rheological Technology

MR Technology Features
Provides variable, resistive control of force in real time

Infinitely variable force resistance within a wide control range

Almost instantaneous response

Mechanical simplicity

Broad operating temperature range

No appreciable abrasion or sedimentation

Low power requirements

Failure safety in passive damping mode

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Magneto Rheological Technology

Basic Types of MR Fluid Devices

Valve Mode

Direct Shear Mode

S

displacement

force
pressure

flow

applied magnetic field, H

applied magnetic field, H

Clutches and brakes

Chucking/locking devices
Dampers
Breakaway devices
Structural composites

Hydraulic controls
Servo valves
Dampers
Shock absorbers
Actuators

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Rotary Devices

MR Brake and Clutch

COIL

MR material fills the gap

between two surfaces.

ROTOR

A coil is used to generate a

magnetic field.

Torque or power
HOUSING

transmission is proportional
to current input

MAGNETIC
FIELD

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Rotary Devices

TFD Steer-by-Wire System Structure

Steering System

MR
Sensor
Electronics

Power
CANbus
(Fault-tolerant)

Primary
Steering
Controller

Vehicle
Steering
Actuator

Principle: Connect a controllable torque

device to the steering wheel.
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Steering
Angle
Sensor

Vehicle
Speed,
Acceleration,
ABS/ESP etc

Rotary Devices

Tactile Feedback Devices for Steer-by-Wire

MR Brake

+
Angle Sensor

Controller & Connector:

- ESD Protection
- Current Amplifier, PWM for Coil
- Communication (CANBus)
- Diagnostics

The angular sensor sends a position signal to the ECU to act on the wheels.

The TFD torque is computed based on wheel position, vehicle dynamics and

any other software controlled criteria (d/dt , endstops, center position detent)

The MR brake creates a feedback for the driver based on ECU output to the TFD
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Rotary Devices

Commercial LORD TFD

Courtesy of KION Group (Linde Fenwick)

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Linear Devices

MR Monotube Damper with Valve in Piston

Advantages

force

Mechanically uncomplicated
(Valve has no moving parts)

Simple, low voltage controls

Force relatively independent of velocity

Large force at small or

Large forces (even at low or zero velocity)

zero velocity is possible

Continuously variable

Environmentally robust

extension

Maximum
current

Zero
current

velocity
MR Force may be any arbitrary
function of displacement,
velocity or acceleration.

compression
Accumulator

Controllable Fluid Valve

Optional Bleed Orifices

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Controllable Fluid

MR Damper Technology

Large MR fluid dampers for anti-seismic application

Two 30-ton MR fluid dampers

installed in Japan

20-ton Seismic Dampers

0.5 meter stroke (July 2005)
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Integrated Systems

MR Damper Seat Suspension Application

ACCEPTABLE
MOTION
TRANSMITTED

Semi-active control of base-excited, single

degree of freedom system for heavy duty
vehicle suspended seats

ROAD
INPUT
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Commercialized in 1998 for highway trucks

Integrated Systems

MR Suspension for vertical,

pitch and roll cabin motion control / ISO 2631-1

MR Control enables the use of low-stiffness

springs without the compromise between ride
and stability. Eliminates need for a roll bar.
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Integrated Systems

Control and Communication System

Lord
MR Unit

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MR Damper Technology

Military Suspension Applications

US military has shown strong interest in advanced suspensions,
specifically MR. Benefits of MR in military vehicles:

Improvement in maneuverability and safe driving speed

Improved stability reduces risk of roll-over

Reduction in driver absorbed power / fatigue

Reduction in wear-and-tear on vehicles due to up-armoring

LORD MR fluid has been used in multiple successful demonstrations of

MR technology, including demos on Humvees, Stryker, and M915A3

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MR Damper Technology

Racing Applications
Formula Student competition Cardiff Racing CR03 car

Courtesy of

www.cardiffracing.co.uk
Developed by Richard Elliott

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Linear Devices

Delphi MagneRide
Delphi developed MR suspensions using LORD MR fluid technology.
Design advantages given by using MR fluids :

No moving parts

Design for assembly

High reliability

100k+ mile durability

Coil Over Shock

MacPherson Strut

Air Lift Shock

Courtesy of
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Linear Devices

Buick
Lucerne

Cadillac
DTS

Chevrolet
Corvette (C6)

Holden
Commodore
HSV E-Series

Audi R8
Le Mans

Audi TT

Ferrari 599
Fiorino

Honda
Acura MDX
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MagneRide Customers and Application History

Cadillac SRX

Cadillac
Seville

Cadillac STS

2002

2003

2004

Acura MDX

Ferrari 599 GTB

2005

Chevrolet Corvette (C6)

Chevrolet
Corvette

Audi A3

Cadillac DTS

2006

Audi R8

2007

2008

Audi TT
Holden HSV
Commodore

Cadillac XLR

2009

Cadillac CTS-V

Buick Lucerne
Cadillac Escalade
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Linear Devices

MR Automotive Mounts
PRIMARY
RUBBER
SPRING ELEMENT

MR FLUID

CURRENT
SOURCE

BOTTOM COMPLIANCE

ELECTROMAGNETS
ORIFICE

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Conclusion

Conclusions

MR Fluids offer:

infinitely variable force (up to 100 kPa strength)

real time control of energy dissipation

wide control range

very short response times (millisecond)

Consistent performance across wide temperature range

(-40C to 130C)

long lived (>107 Joules/cm3)

haptic feedback

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Conclusion

Conclusions
MR Fluids offer:

20-50 times stronger than electro-rheological (ER) fluids.

Not sensitive to contaminants or extremes in temperature compared

to ER fluids.

Operated from low-voltage power supplies.

No compromise between control of low and high frequency inputs.

The devices are mechanically simple and economical to fabricate

The devices have commercially proven long-life robustness and

reliability.

Current induced magnetic fields are easy to apply and control via
software. Complete control and interface electronics can be
integrated with sensing, bearing and other functions.
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Conclusion

Conclusions

Lord MR expertise offers its customers:

Mechanical and magnetic simulation and design

Extensive formulation know-how

Wide field of application know-how

Proven algorithms and control software

9 years of MR production experience

> 105 MR devices in use worldwide (dampers, brakes, clutches, )

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Contact for questions:

Albert Achen
Business Development Manager Europe
Lord Corporation
+33 670 771 064
albert_achen@lord.com
Lord MR website

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