Durability investigation on torque control of a magneto-rheological brake: experimental work

This study experimentally investigates the torque control durability of a disc brake featuring a magneto-rheological (MR) fluid. An appropriate size of MR disc brake is designed based on a mathematical model, and a prototype is manufactured. A small-scale laboratory-scale test bed is then developed using a DC motor, in-line torque sensor, and the MR brake. S45C and S20C steels are inserted into a tapered hole on the surface of the brake disc. After 10 5 cycles of operation in shear mode, the wear properties of the MR brake are characterized by average surface roughness measurements, scanning electron microscope images, and energy dispersive x-ray spectra. The torque control performances before and after the operation cycles are examined using open-loop control and closed-loop proportional-integral-derivative control. As expected, the control performance degraded after 10 5 cycles of operation in the open-loop case, but not in the closed-loop case. This aspect is demonstrated by the sinusoidal torque-tacking control performance before and after the operation cycles.