Magnetic properties of carbonyl iron particles in magnetorheological fluids

Knowledge of the magnetic properties of dispersed magnetic particles is a prerequisite to the design an MR fluid with desired performance. A term specific susceptibility is introduced for characterization of particle susceptibility. The study was performed with the Bartington MS2B magnetic susceptibility system on small samples volume. Specific magnetic susceptibility of iron particles was found to be a linear function of median particle size. Structural change in the fluid, including particle organization, led to susceptibility drift and may affect fluid performance. It was shown that susceptibility data can be used for evaluation of the concentration of carbonyl iron particles in MR fluids.