Article Published In Vol.11 (Jan-Feb 2023)

Investigation of effect of B-H curve, disc material, number of electromagnet and disc on MR brake performance

Author : Prashant Sinha

Due to the mechanical contact between the brake pad and disc material in automobile disc brakes, the lining materials are subjected to considerable frictional heat and wear. By substituting conventional disc brakes with Magnetorheological brakes, these disadvantages can be eliminated (MRB). Also, a single-disc MR brake cannot produce the necessary torque for real-world automotive applications. To counteract these drawbacks, a new multidisc MR brake design was developed. A FEM analysis of a low-carbon steel single-disc MR brake with a central electromagnet was performed without the incorporation of a B-H curve. The B-H curve was then incorporated into the analysis to examine the effect of magnetic saturation. To investigate the effect of disc material on magnetic flux, the disc material was changed from low carbon steel to iron, whose relative permeability is greater. Using three electromagnets as opposed to a single electromagnet, the effect of the number of electromagnets on the magnetic field was investigated. In order to determine the effect of disc count, a finite element analysis of a multidisc (18 disc) MR brake was conducted. FEM results conclude that the performance of a single-disc MR brake can be improved by incorporating the B-H curve and increasing the number of electromagnets from one to three. Using a multidisc brake instead of a single disc in the MR brake can also increase torque. In previous research, the effect of more than one electromagnet, the insertion of a B-H curve, and the use of multiple discs were not investigated in detail. In the present study, a detailed and schematic analysis of these factors is performed using finite element analysis, and the results are validated using an experimental MR brake setup.

Keywords: B-H curve, Finite element analysis, Single and three electromagnet, Single and multi-disc, Torque