The effect of repetitive magnetic and cyclic loading on the fatigue life prediction of a magnetorheological elastomer

Prediction of fatigue life is particularly crucial in magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) based rubber components, especially when are exposed to repetitive magnetic and cyclic loading. MREs are smart composites that contain soft elastomer matrix and carbonyl iron particles (CIPs). In this research, silicon rubber was mixed with 20% of CIPs in the absence of an external magnetic field to produce MREs. Firstly, for the determination of material constants (including hyper elastic, magnetic, and viscoelastic), two types of tests such as uniaxial compression and relaxation, were performed on the samples. Then, fatigue tests were performed by a servo-hydraulic fatigue testing machine with cyclic loading in a repetitive magnetic field. Fatigue equations were obtained based on the number of fatigue life and maximum stress. The results confirmed that maximum stress could be used as a trustworthy fatigue life predictor for MREs when they are subjected to a combination of repetitive magnetic and cyclic loading. Scanning electron microscopy images from fatigue crack showed that the internal structure of MREs became stronger in the direction of the magnetic field. The maximum stress of the MRE was smaller in the absence of a magnetic field and decreased as the number of fatigue cycles increased with and without the magnetic field.