IMPROVED ELECTRORHEOLOGICAL FLUIDS FOR LUBRICANT VISCOSITY CONTROL

A NOVEL, STRUCTURED COPOLYMER MATERIAL IS PROPOSED WHICH PROMISES TO GREATLY ADVANCE THE STATE OF ELECTRORHEOLOGICAL (ER) FLUID TECHNOLOGY. THE NEW SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE THE ELECTRO-VISCOUS RESPONSE OF CONVENTIONAL ER FLUIDS WITHOUT THE TEMPERATURE SENSITIVITY AND PHYSICAL INSTABILITY OF THOSE MATERIALS. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE PROPOSED ER FLUIDS WILL GIVE CONTROLLABLE LUBRICANT PROPERTIES OVER A BROAD TEMPERATURE RANGE, WILL HAVE OUTSTANDING MECHANICAL STABILITY AND WILL BE NON-CORROSIVE TO METAL PARTS. THIS FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT APPROACH TO CONTROLLING RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES WILL REPRESENT A SIGNIFICANT STEP IN THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF ER LUBRICANTS.