Magnetorheological fluid, a typical non-Newtonian fluid, has shear-thinning characteristics, which is shown that the shear stress increases non-linearly with the shear rates. To be more precise, shear stress increases with shear rates but its increasing rate gradually slows down. Shear-thinning characteristics will harm the performance of magnetorheological fluids, as well as cause the uneven distribution of magnetorheological fluid in magnetorheological devices. This work investigates the shear-thinning effects under different working conditions. Besides, the mechanism of shear-thinning effects is revealed through mechanical analysis, numerical simulation and experiments. This work will provide guidance for the preparation of magnetorheological fluids, which is beneficial to improve the performance of magnetorheological fluids, as well as the precise control of magnetorheological devices.
 

Magnetorheological fluid,Shear thinning,Mechanism,Mechanical analysis,Simulation