Technique for the normalization of electro-rheological fluid performance data in cylindrical/shear and pressure/flow modes of steady operation

A general technique providing effective but approximate characterization of electro-rheological fluids as continua (as against their apparent device specific performance) is extended by relating data from cylindrical, sliding electrode induced shear flow, and fixed, plane electrode, pressure induced linear flow types of test rigs. The motion being laminar, use is made of the well known Buckingham relationships: the yield stress in the fluid is taken to vary at constant excitation whilst the well defined unexcited viscosity remains fixed. On the basis of experimental data, and within an acceptable error band (for engineering design purposes) the two modes of operation are shown to share common fluid characteristics in terms of Hedstrom and Reynolds Numbers at constant excitation, and when these are related to a Friction Coefficient, a technique of using `fluid alone' data is made available. This technique allows small sample, low shear rate fluid test results from Couette-type apparatus to be applied in user friendly fashion to the prediction of performance of parallel plate valves and cylindrical clutches operating in the engineering scale.