Optimal Design of Hydraulic Disc Brake for Magnetorheological (MR) Application

Abstract

This paper aims to provide a new design considering compressive force application in the MR fluid andimprove its braking torque by optimizing it. According to the current study, compressing the MR region will increase braking torque compared to no compression. The area covered by an existing model of the conventional disc brake is taken into consideration for the unique design of the MR brake to operate in shear and compression mode, and the required compression given by the hydraulic pressure similar to a conventional disc brake. The suggested MR brake’s structural layout is presented. The Herschel-Bulkley shear thinning model’s mathematical expression for the torque equation for the compression and shear modes is provided. An analytical magnetic circuit is done for the proposed design for determining the relationship between applied current and magnetic field strength as a function of the geometrical and material attributes of the MR brake. Simulation is done on COMSOL software with the help of an AC/DC module, considering the non-linear relationship between the magnetic field and magnetic flux. Simulation results of braking torque achieved with the varying current are determined. The graph displays the braking torque for current in the compression plus shear mode as well as shear mode. After that, optimization is done on the proposed model for optimal design parameters. For optimization, we adopt the most popular Genetic Algorithm (GA) method. Optimization aims to increase the braking torque capacity of the MR brake for the given volume.