Enhanced magneto-mechanical performance of hybrid magnetorheological elastomers with encapsulated magnetic fluids

This study examines and contrasts the mechanical properties of hybrid magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) incorporating magnetic fluids (MRFs) with those of conventional MREs under diverse magnetic fields and compressive loads. Hybrid MREs are fabricated by encapsulating an internal MRF core within an elastomer matrix containing magnetic particles of varying mass ratios. Dynamic oscillatory shear tests were conducted by applying magnetic fields up to 700 mT using a rheometer equipped with a magnetorheological accessory. The results demonstrate that the hybrid MREs exhibit significantly larger changes in storage and dissipation factors with magnetic fields compared to conventional MREs, even under high compressive loads. The hybrid MREs exhibit effective performance, as evidenced by the maintenance of the relative change in modulus under compression.