Combined magnetic and mechanical sensing of magnetorheological elastomers

In this work, for the first time, the combined effects of magnetic fields and mechanical compression loads on the sensing capabilities (i.e., electrical resistivity behavior) of magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) were studied. MREs with different particle volume percentages were prepared and tested under constant temperature. A theoretical study was performed using a finite element analysis to understand the MRE deformation when subjected to a magnetic field. Coupled magnetic and elastic field equations were employed to determine the magnetic attraction force between the particles. The magnetostriction and magnetoresistance were examined to determine the piezoresistivity effect of MREs under the combined loading condition.