Magnetic-controlled friction behavior of a water-lubricated magnetorheological rubber bearing under boundary lubrication

To solve the issue of the non-adjustable friction coefficient of water-lubricated bearings in operation, a water-lubricated rubber bearing is designed based on magnetorheological (MR) rubbers in this study. The experimental platform measured the friction coefficients with different magnetic fields and low speed. The friction coefficient of the MR rubber bearing peaks in boundary lubrication. The friction coefficient of the bearings is controlled by the magnetic field, resulting in a reduction of the friction coefficient up to 36%. The theoretical analysis combines the magnetic-dipole model and the theory of friction trinomials. It revealed that the magnetic-controlled modulus of elasticity and loss factor of MR rubber bearings affect the friction coefficient, with the modulus of elasticity factor dominating.