Comparison of electrorheological measurements based on different methods of electric field generation

Abstract

Electrorheological measurements represent a key approach in characterizing the efficiency of electrorheological fluids. The rotational rheometers, the Physica MCR 501 (Anton Paar) equipped with an electrorheological cell and the Bohlin Gemini CVOR 150 (Malvern Instruments) modified for electrorheological experiments generate an electric field in two completely different ways. Each of the two generations has a specific influence on electrorheological measurements. The experimental data were obtained and compared for a suspension of polyaniline powders mixed (10 wt%) in silicone oil. For a concentric-cylinders arrangement, it was shown that the data are fully comparable for both rheometers. However, for a parallel-plate arrangement, the data using the Physica MCR 501 provide higher values in comparison with both the corresponding plateplate data obtained with the Bohlin Gemini CVOR 150 and with the mutually comparable concentric cylinders data. © 2014.