Claims
- 1.A magnetorheological material comprising magnetic particles and a carrier material comprising a completely or partially covalently-crosslinked polymeric gel.
- 2.The material of claim 1 where said gel is partially crosslinked.
- 3.The material of claim 2 wherein said material is made by a process comprising providing nonstoichiometric amounts of monomers to a polymerization reaction forming said gel.
- 4.The material of claim 1 made by a method comprising forming said polymeric gel in the presence of said magnetic particles.
- 5.The material of claim 1 made by a method comprising forming said polymeric gel prior to adding said magnetic particles.
- 6.The method of claim 5 made by a method comprising polymerizing said polymeric gel in the presence of a plasticizer, then adding said magnetic particles.
- 7.The method of claim 5 made by a method comprising forming said polymeric gel, adding a diluent thereto, and adding iron particles thereto.
- 8.The material of claim 1 wherein said magnetic particles are ferromagnetic particles.
- 9.The material of claim 1 comprising a plasticizer.
- 10.The material of claim 1 wherein said polymeric gel is a polyurethane polymeric gel.
- 11.The material of claim 1 wherein said polymeric gel is a modified polyurethane gel polymerized using a monomer selected from the group consisting of isocyanurate, urea, allophanate, biuret, oxazolidone, carbodiimide and cyclic imide.
- 12.The material of claim 1 wherein said polymeric gel is an epoxy polymeric gel.
- 13.The material of claim 1 wherein said polymeric gel is a silicone polymeric gel.
- 14.The material of claim 1 wherein said polymeric gel is made using a thermosetting polymer.
- 15.The material of claim 1 wherein said polymeric gel is made using a thermoplastic polymer.
- 16.The material of claim 1 wherein said polymeric gel is substantially uniformly distributed throughout said material.
- 17.A magnetorheological material having a selected off-state viscosity comprising magnetic particles and a carrier material, said carrier material comprising a polymeric gel.
- 18.The magnetorheological material of claim17 wherein said selected off-state viscosity is between about 20 and about 5,000,000 cp.
- 19.The material of claim 17 wherein said polymeric gel is a polyurethane polymeric gel.
- 20.The material of claim 17 wherein said polymeric gel is an epoxy polymeric gel.
- 21.The material of claim 17 wherein said polymeric gel is a silicone polymeric gel.
- 22.The material of claim 17 wherein said polymeric gel is substantially uniformly distributed throughout said material.
- 23.A method for making a magnetorheological material comprising:
- 24.The method of claim 23 wherein said formulation step includes adding said magnetic particles to a polymeric gel precursor and polymerizing said precursor to form said polymeric gel.
- 25.The method of claim 23 comprising adding said magnetic particles to said polymeric gel carrier after polymerization thereof.
- 26.The method of claim 24 wherein a diluent is added to said components prior to polymerization.
- 27.The method of claim 25 wherein a diluent is added after polymerization.
- 28.The method of claim 23 wherein said polymeric gel is a polyurethane polymeric gel.
- 29.The method of claim 23 wherein said polymeric gel is an epoxy polymeric gel.
- 30.The method of claim 23 wherein said polymeric gel is a silicone polymeric gel.
- 31.The material of claim 23 wherein said polymeric gel is substantially uniformly distributed throughout said material.
- 32.A method for controlling output characteristics of a magnetorheological device using a magnetic field in its on-state, containing a magnetorheological material comprising:
- 33.A magnetorheological fluid comprising magnetic particles coated with a monolayer of a polymeric gel.
- 34.The magnetorheological fluid of claim 33 wherein said monolayer is self-assembling.
- 35.A magnetorheological fluid comprising magnetic particles coated with a bilayer of a polymeric gel.
- 36.A magnetorheological fluid comprising magnetic particles coated with multiple layers of a polymeric gel.
Cross Reference to Related Applications
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/183,515, filed February 18, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference to the extent not inconsistent herewith.