Approach on the improvement of the durability of an electrorheological valve

This work presents an approach on the improvement of the durability of an electrorheological valve and an electrorheological fluid. The pressure difference which can be achieved with the electrorheological effect is determined at the electrorheological valve. In order to simulate realistic operating conditions and to obtain a time-dependent pressure difference, several experiments are carried out in which the electrorheological fluid is permanently loaded over a period of several days with a field strength of up to 5 kV/mm. The results show that a simulated operating time of 2000 h would be possible without any problems. The knowledge gained on the characteristics of the electrorheological valve and electrorheological fluid in continuous operation is important for the design of electrorheological applications in order to estimate and determine their service life.