SMART MATERIALS IN AUTOMOBILES ENGINEERING

SMART MATERIALS IN AUTOMOBILES ENGINEERING

ABSTRACT:

Science and technology have made amazing developments in the design of electronics and machinery using standard materials, which do not have particularly special properties (i.e. steel, aluminum, gold). Imagine the range of possibilities, which exist for special materials that have properties scientists can manipulate. Some such materials have the ability to change shape or size simply by adding a little bit of heat, or to change from a liquid to a solid almost instantly when near a magnet; these materials are called smart materials.

Smart materials have one or more properties that can be dramatically altered. A wide variety of smart materials already exists, and is being researched extensively. These include piezoelectric materials, magneto-rheostatic materials (MR), electro-rheostatic materials (ER), and shape memory alloys. Some everyday items are already incorporating smart materials (coffeepots, cars, the International Space Station, eyeglasses) and the number of applications for them is growing steadily.

In both ER and MR fluids, the change in the resistance to flow is triggered by an electrical stimulus. The microscopic cause behind the thickening effect is the same in both fluids: “polarization of the particles induced by the application of the electric or magnetic field and the subsequent formation of particle chains”. Given sufficient strength of the field, the particle chains eventually bridge the electrodes.

The automotive and aerospace industries were probably the first to identify potential engineering applications of smart fluids. This paper highlights these engineering applications - notably for vibration control and variable torque transmission. Nowadays many additional avenues are being explored, for example MR fluids are being developed for use in car shocks, damping machine vibration. ER fluids have mainly been developed for use in clutches and valves, as well as engine mounts designed to reduce noise and vibration in vehicles.

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