The clutch is easy to control and requires
The Magnetic Fluid Clutch
JACOB RABINOW
NONMEMBER AIEE
N apparently new type of magnetic
*Ao fluid and several classes of new de-
vices utilizing this fluid have been de-
veloped at the National Bureau of Stand-
ards. Among them are new types of hy-
draulic actuators, dashpots, and clutches.
These developments have stemmed
from an extensive research program
on electronic digital computers for
office of the chief of ordnance, Deparit-
ment of the Army. Such machines re.
quire electromechanical input and output
mechanisms which employ, among other
elements, magnetic recording tapes and
their associated transfer devices. In some
of the applications, extremely rapid ac-
celerations are necessary, with frequent
starts, stops, and reverses. Since it is
desired that velocities of the order of 20
feet per second be reached in a few milli-
seconds, a search was made throughout
the field of fast-acting motors,' clutches,
and brakes in order to find equipment
suitable for this duty. One of the items
found was the clutch of W. M. Winslow,
which uses electrostatic attraction be-
tween finely divided insulating particles
suspended in oil and two conducting
clutch plates.
The electrostatic clutch suggested the
possibility of devising a new type of mag-
netic clutch, using two magnetic plates
and substituting a suspension of magnetic
particles for the electrostatic mixture. A
new material and several new devices
have resulted from these experiments.
The most obvious application of the
principle has been in electromagnetic
clutches, but the electromagnetically con-
trollable mixture appears to offer con-
siderable promise for other uses as well.
When used as a filler in a dashpot, the
suspension of iron in a suitable liquid
greagreaadvatagesin
offer
offer advatagesin tat,
tht, b
bythe
employment of suitable electromagnetic
control, the characteristics of the dashpot
can be made to be a function of position,
1308
very small amounts of electrical power.
The control is extremely smooth from the
minimum, which is determined by the
viscous drag of the oil, to the maximum,
which is controlled by the magnetic
saturation of the iron. Unlike other
velocity, acceleration, or any combina- electromagnetic clutches, which follow a
tion of these factors. square law wherein the torque is propor-
Simple electromagnetic valves with no tional to the square of the current, the
moving parts, similarly can be employed torque in the new clutch exhibits the
to control the flow of this mixture through square effect to a markedly less degree,
<
~~~~~~~~and,
hydraulic systems, thus presenting . a new in some clutches, the
and insoe torque-versus-
clut t trque-ve-
area of experimentation in the field of currntcurveist
low saturation.
ur
t
servo-mechanisms.
theAoteunsaaddsiblfaur particularly when
found ain these clutches,
Principle of the Clutch ue
-ued aticfrictionsdoes, nt fer
The magnetic fluid clutch operates on masurabl frintic fritin; hencer
the hasic principle that .wen the space l rm n
. t. . no ~~discontinuities
between two parallel magnetic surfaces is ist of initiationinoftorque exist at the
slip. This fea ture
filled with finely divided magnetic par- contrib t atly to the Tsmootnes
tildes and a magnetic field is established
between the two< plates,
. . magnetic.
the ~~~~~the
t clutch
c action, since chattering in an
particles bind the plates together against ordinary dry friction clutch is mainly due
movement parallel to their surfaces. The to the difference between the static and
magnetic particles may be finely divided kinetic friction.
iron which, for most applications, is mixed Because it has no axially moving parts.
' such as
with a liquid ' pack-
oil, to prevent ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~the
clutch iS veryJ easY to build, consisting
.essentiall of easdrivin da drivn
ing and to afford smoother operation of member whic doino cange r driven
the clutch. When a portion of this mix- . . ***
ture is acted on by a magnetic field, the position, except in rotation. As slipping
iron particles are mutually attracted, bind occurs only between the extremely fine
the field,'-aand efec
together in"sldiis the mixture iron particles and between the iron par-
p
readly ies and smooth face surfaces of the
seemingl y clutch, and as all the surfaces are lubri-
demonstrated by lowering a small per- cated wear appears to be negligible.
manent magnet into a beaker of the iron- M i a o
oil mixture (Figure 1). As the magnetic off,vthe ironds thu rated simply
field can be produced by an electric cur- add t the iron powderaled sinely
rent, a very simple means is thus ob- .
tained for the control of the binding force mixture. The gaps, as normally em-
over a very wide range. ployed, are fairly large; therefore, any
such wear will have minor effect. In the
clutches at the Bureau, no wear has
testedbut
Advantages of the Magnetic Fluid been noted, beau'se extesv life
Clutch tet haentytbenrn ti o
Preliminary results at the National posbetrueutwacmltly
Bureau of Standards indicate that the
electromagnetic fluid clutch has numer- Paphiery4-28 rcommtteennded by thedALEE rotating
ous advantages over many other existing technical program committee for presentation at
the tpes. is haracerize .Dy
ypes.Itt iscihaacterzec by exreme
etreme the AIEE
ington, Middle
D. C., Eastern
October 5-7, 1948. meeting, Wash-
District Manuscript sub-
smoothness of action because all contact- mitted July 20, 1948; made available for printing
ing surfaces, both of the plates and of the SepteBe 3,BNO1948. te aioaBrauo
iron powder, are coated by a lubricant. Standards, Washington, D. C.
Rabinow-The Magnetic Fluid Clutch AJEE TRANSACTIONS
Design Factors
Before describing the several forms of
magnetic clutches built and tested at the
Bureau, it may be well to generalize some-
what on the design of such couplings.
Figure 5 shows the general arrangement
of an electromagnetic clutch where both
the driven and the driving members are
represented as a single magnetic unit.
Figures 6, 7, and 8 show three alternate
methods of dividing the magnetic struc-
ture into two parts for the transmission
of power. It will be recognized that Fig-
ure 6 is the configuration most generally
employed in dry magnetic couplings,
while Figures 7 and 8 show alternate
arrangements particularly suitable for the
use of magnetic powder and oil instead of
dry friction. Figures 9 and 10 are other
arrangements where the magnetic struc-
ture is cut at more than two places so that
parallel plate operations may be obtained
in order to increase the area of action.
While all figures show a single circular
coil, it is quite obvious that separate
coils, spaced like the poles of an electro-
dynamic machine, may be employed.
The single coil is favored because of its
simplicity of construction and excellent
magnetic efficiency. Many other forms of
magnetic circuits can be employed, de-
pending on the materials used, results de-
sired, cost, and other factors.
The design principles of the magnetic
circuit of the clutch are no different from
those used in all other electromagnetic
machinery, with the possible exception
that the value of the permeability of a
A-idFigure
at the 3.NBSLaboratory
that magnetic fluid used in the
Figure 1. A magnetic fluid consisting of Rne
iron powder and oil forms the heart of the
National Bureau oF Standards (NBS) magnetic
fluid clutch
1948, VOLUME 67
Figure 2. Toroidal coils are wound around
these Lucite rings
suitable mixture of the carbonyl iron and
oil is approximately eight times that of
air. A permeability of eight iniplies that
an iron-powder gap of, say, 0.080 inch has
the same reluctance as an air gap of
0.010 inch. This increased permeability
of the gap greatly simplifies the design
and construction of practical electromag-
netic couplings of the type described.
The permeability was measured by means
of toroidal coils wound around Lucite
rings containing a known quantity of the
magnetic mixture (Figure 2). Higher
permeabilities can be obtained by using
less oil, larger particles, or aggregates of
large and small particles, but it is doubt-
ful that very much better values than
those reported can be obtained with
carbonyl "E" powder mixtures.
One of the main considerations in the
choice of gap dimensions is the effect of
viscous drag. For example, in a clutch of
the type suitable for automotive use, the
viscous drag of the clutch plates when the
magnet is de-energized must be kept to a
minimum, while in an overload clutch
this effect may be of no imiportanice.
The magnetic clutches thus far built
at the National Bureau of Standards are
to determine
shearingdevised
apparatus
test the
new
force
type clutch
will resist. The 2-inch-square iron plate (in
hand) will sustain a pull of 200 pounds with-
out moving when 10 watts of electric power
are supplied to the coil
Rabinow-The Mlagnetic Fluid Clutch
Figure 4. The holding ability of the mag-
netized iron-oil mixture used in the new type
of electromagnetic clutch is demonstrated in
this experiment at the NBS. A 2-inch-sauare
plate immersed in magnetic fluid energized by
an electromagnet supports the weight of the
girl (117 pounds)
of a basic and simple form, that is, with
the spacing of the plates fixed, though
this construction has the disadvantage of
producing appreciable viscous drag at
high speeds when the clutch is de-ener-
gized. For one of the bureau's experi-
mental clutches (Figures 11 and 19), the
drag is approximately 1.0 pound-inch at
1,000 rpm and varies linearly with speed.
This drag may be minimized in several
ways, such as using a thinner mixture of
iron and oil, using lighter oil, increasing
the spacing between the plates, and, of
course, driving the clutch at lower speeds.
Mlechanical devices which change the
spacing of the plates automatically when
the clutch is demagnetized can be em-
ployed, and the number of other expedi-
ents is unlimited. Normally this viscous
drag is a small fraction of the clutch
torque, and the heat generated can be
readily dissipated. In regard to auto-
mobile applications, the low idling speed
of gasoline engines is advantageous.
In considering the design of magnetic
circuits, it is concluded that the use of
salcpe
ienparlslelossorsine
gapsa copentalossl
1area amo
e unt irola nde
ofofi and
hl h s fgp
in series reduces the amount of iron but
requires more excitation to overcome the
total resultant gap length. Which
method of attack- is preferable depends
1309
 brought out. Good results have been ob-
-COIL stained by using rubber "O" rings at the
shaft bearing, but there is no doubt that
6.;/ / = //u utypes
other XDD/,#of packing can be employed
X-IRON
vZ//// ? ,AR7I X successfully. If there is danger of the iron
particles getting into ball bearings, it may
be desirable to add a magnetic lock be-
Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 yond the oil seal to trap any particles of
iron which get through the seal. The oil
that passes beyond this point would then
be clean and should have no harmful
- A E C ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~effect on the bearings. Such a magnetic
lock may consist of a pernanent magnet
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~rinig
flanked by two ironi washers, as
E < 3 --z DDv a t H
/XX
shown Figuremetlhods
in
Two other
17. beiiig tested for
sealing the mlixture into the clutch consist
of using labyrinth seals, particularly when
the clutch is to be used only in a hori-
Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 zoiltal position, and the use of spiral
Figures 5-10. Cross-sectional drawings of several magnetic clutches grooves on the shaft or on the bearing,
arraiige(l so that any nmixture reaching
the seal is automatically ptniijied back
upOnl such factors as the availability of netic pull and the plate deformied suffi- into the initernal cavity of tlle clutch.
electric power, coiisiderations of weight, ciently to conitact one or the otlier of the Generally speaking, it appears advis-
and size. Multiple-plate clutches can be magnetic surfaces. '[his tvpe of ttii- able to place the electrical winiding inside
designed so that the sets of plates are balance of the magnietic pullls is well the clutch for several reasons: this place-
either in series or in parallel. The :-plate known to the designers of rotating elec- iiient re(luces the amount of wire needed;
clutcli of the design shown in Figure 21 trical macliiiierv, and siinilar (lifficulties it puts the tor(lue surfaces at thie nlaxi-
(wooden iiiock-up) can be expanded with bearing play aid shaft flexibility ra(lies;
tiII it permits better dissipa-
tioti of beat generated by the friction sur-
readily to have any desired nuniber of may be experienlce(d in the mnagnetic flui(
alternate driver and driven plates, as clutches. The thiln lip showni at the edge faces; and it reduces tbe over-all size and
slhown in Figure 25. I'his clutch, wlhichl of the driven iiiemiiber of the clutcl in
uses tlie series gap arrangemnents, is very Figure 20 was built to stiffen the cylinder,
ofwtheclutch
inertia lowever,there may
le times when these considerations are
compact, but heat dissipation presents By using nonniaguietic materials this n1Ot iiiiportaIit, as when seals presciit
special problems, particularly if the clutch difficultv is obviated, dificulties, particularly in the case of very
is to be used conttinuously in conistatitlv Anotlher problem whichl arises in conl- thliinslafts. The coils niay then be placed
slippimig condition. Air or liquid cooling nection with these clutches is that of on the outside of the frictoio surfaces
can be provided in anvy kown maimler. sealing the oil-iton mixture in its com- Such a desigii is showIn in Figure 20.
WN here low inertia is required in the partinent. There are two separate places It is possible also to niake the energiz-
dtriven member, as ini high-speed servo where such scaling generally is required. nig coil completely separale froim
the
work, it is desirable to make the excitilig it is desirable poiilt
Onie is the shaft support- clutch
make the (.xcitirilsIigsthenigletoiftie
where the so that the coil is iiot revolved
frc t
but
coil anid magnetic iron a part of the driv- iiig the initernal iieimhber leaves the as- tramisumits the imagnetoiiotive force to
ing member in so far as possible. Onily a semblv, and th1e secoiid, if aii iiiteriial coil
very thin member is theii needed to pick is used, is the point at which thie leads are
up the torque in clutches such as shown in
Figures 10 and 20. The thlin driven p)late,
which iiormiially is niade of iron or other
magnetic miaterial so as not to introdtuce
aiiy unniecessary reluctanice inito the gap,
may be made of various nionmagnetic
materials as well. It was found that
plates made of such materials,
troduced inito the magnetic gaps, ex-
whene
in-
perienced torque because of the attractioti
of iron particles from opposite sides of the
plates. iork on this effect is still in
process, but it has already been found
that mesh, or plates with perforations
experience torques comparable to those
obtained with iron plates. This effect is Figure 11. First NBS test model of practical Figure 12. Disassembled view of the central
particularly important because, whemi clutch. Current supplied through the two slip chamber of the first NBS test clutch, showing
thin iron plate is used, there is always the rings energizes a coil in the disk-shaped cen- the magnet coil on the upper plate sutrounding
possibility that mechanical eccentricities tral chamber, and hence through the mag- the free center disk which connects to the
may be greatly exaggerated by the mag- netic fluid in the intervening space driving shaft

1310 Rabinou-"Thle Magnetic Fluid Clutch A IEE TIRAXSACTIOINS


Figure 13. A close-up of a filling hole in the
upper driven plate of the first practical model
of the NBS magnetic fluid clutch. On the
left the driving plate turns freely in the de-
magnetized mixture of powdered iron and
oil between the upper and lower driven
plates. When the clutch is energized, right,
the magnetic flux acts on the iron powder sus-
pended in the oil, and the mixture forms a
virtually solid mass
the working faces through short air gaps.
This can be accomnplished at some loss of
electrical efficiency and appears suitable
only for very small sizes, where the power
demands are low and the simplification is
justified.
When an electroliiagnetic lltlid clutch is
used as a brake, slip rings are not neces-
sary. Another very promising approach
to the problem of their elinminiation is to
employ a built-in a-c generator which
may consist of no more than a coil
mounted on one of the clutch members
and arranged to pass through the fiel( of a
Figure 14. Test setup for observing the opera.
tion of the first practical model of the NBS
magnetic fluid clutch
1948, VOLUME 67
_ i_ m 10would be achieved.
_ cided that the bearings must have "fro-
Figure 15. The practicability of the mag-
netic fluid clutch motor
immersing a small
was first
framedemonstrated
and field wind-
ings in a bath of powdered iron and oil.
Application of current to the field windings
causes the cylindrical iron rotor (substituted for
the usual armature) to lock firmly
permianmenit magniet, or an electromagnet,
nounmteLd oni the statkniary framiie of the
machine. The alternating current thus
prodluced imiay le applied directly to the
clutch winidiigs, or imay be rectifiel before
being applied. If nionlinear resistive ele-
iments are adlded to the circuit, interest-
ing possibilities in controllitng the clutel
tor(qtie by llleans of speed variations are
presented. If the field structure is
mounite(d on the other rotating member of
the clutch, the voltage developed will be a
fulictioni of the difference in the speed of
Rabinow 7'he .llagnetic fluid Clutch
the two clutch miemibers. Whiile coniplete
lock-in could not then be obtained, char-
acteristics very simiilar to fluid couplings
Experimental Results
The first experiments performned at the
Bureau consisted of taking the field struc-
ture of an ordinary small 2-pole motor,
replacing the armiature with a cyliindrical
iron rotor, and dropping the wvhole as-
senbi into a beaker containing the ironi-
oil miixture. Voltage was then appliedi to
the field wbidinig aiid the locking torque
on the rotor was examinted. The torque
was so great in this test that it was (le-
zen" or that the rotor shaft had bent out
of shape, althcugh subsequent tests
showed this not to be the case. A design
as shown in Figures 11, 12, and 19 was
conlstructedi to check for the presence or
by
absence of niagnietic shear effect. This
model was used for much of the experi-
niental work at the Bureau. 'lThe bearinigs
are external to the oil mixture, and, by
using a vertical shaft, oil seals andl their
attendant friction are eliminlated. The
results indicated that the first experiments
with the motor framie were (quite valid in
that large torques were no doubt due to
the small gap present
This mlotor as later remodeled (Figures
15, 16, alid 18) was used with several
sizes of rotors to determine the effect of
gap length on the resulting torque. This
particular type of assembly, usiig the
conventionial motor frame witli laminated
magnletic circuits, is especially suitable
Figure16. The apparatususedfortheexpert.
ment shown
assembly, twoinsizes
Figure 15 consistsiron
of cylindrical motor
of rotor,
housing, and cover
1311
 SOFT IRON RINGSCOL4ZWR

wl>et~~~~~~~~~~~~~~RNGSE

< C~~~ ~~~~ROT

~ 7 ~OI LEAD

BRASS BA ITE.

Figure 17. A design illustrating the use of a Figure 20. Design of a clutch with the
magnetic lock electrical winding on the outside of the fric-
tion surfaces Figure 21. Cutaway model of a simple mul-
tiple-disk-type clutch. The electromagnet
Various experiments were performed for energizing the magnetic Ruid which
with the flat-plate clutch (Figures 11, 12, normally fills the clutch casing utilizes the coil
and 19), the magnetic components of windings in the center of the clutch
which are made of 47 per cent nickel steel.
SROL&I -_ 2 lil ll k flELD The inner driving plate is a disk 0.062
5OT tz 1 s LAMINATION inch thick by 3 inches in diameter and dicating that the value of the torque did
the iron-oil gap on each side of the disk is not drop with the increase in speed, an
MOTOR- T Ir0.062 inch. The coil consists of approxi- effect quite common in dry friction
GASE mately 200 turns of number 28 wire with a clutches and one which results usually in
d-c resistance of 15 ohms. In the design considerable instability under similar con-
of this clutch, no effort was made to make ditions of test. As may be expected, the
Figure 18. Crossection of the small motor an efficient magnetic circuit, since the gap clutch heated up appreciably during each
frame and field windings area is large relative to the cross section run because of the energy dissipated in
of the magnetic material surrounding friction; this resulted in a lowering of the
each side of the coil. viscosity of the oil and a slight change in
SLtP i IEBRUSHES Tests on this clutch indicate that the torque.
static friction is not appreciably different Determination of the type of liquid to
from the friction obtained under condi- use as a vehicle is based on such factors as
lions of slip. This can be seen from a difficulty in sealing, ability to withstand
typical set of curves shown in Figure 29. high and low temperatures, chemical
The relationship between exciting current stability, availability, and price.
and torque is shown in Figure 30. The Typical results of tests on different
magnetization curves, it will be noted, are types of iron and various proportions of
\ \ practically linear through zero. The iron and oil in the mixture are shown in
\COIL clutch does not appear to obey the square Table I. The behavior of the iron-oil
OIL

DRIV;rN
PLATES DRIV4NG
DISC law as is generally expected in magnetic mixture when magnetized and demag-
devices. The reasons for this are not netized may be visually examined
FIgur 19. Cross-section of the test model of clearly understood. In one experiment through one of the filling holes of the flat-
magnetic-Ruid clutch with the flat-plate clutch (Figure 14), the plate clutch. The liquid when unmag-
torque was measured on a spring scale netized looks like a heavy gray oil, as
attached to a point on the periphery of the shown in Figure 13 (left), but when mag-
for magnetic clutches to be operated on driven plates by means of a thin cable. It netized and subjected to shearing by re-
alternating current. Using a mixture was found that when the clutch was volving the inner plate, the material as-
consisting of nine parts of carbonyl E iron driven by the electric motor the pointer on sumesa striated appearance as seen in Fig-
and one part of oil by weight, the following the scale remained completely steady, in- ure 13 (right). When the plate is moved
torques were obtained: 2.5 pound-inches
with a 0.062-inch gap; 3.0 pound-inches Table I. Torque of 3-Inch-Disk Clutch for Various Magnetic Powder Mixtures
with a 0.025-inch gap; and 3.5 pound-
inches with a 0.012-inch gap. These Torque in Pound-
torques were obtained at low speed, and Inches With One
the effects of speed and of gap length are Powder Liquid Powder Oil turrent
shown in Figure 27. In order to mini-
mize the residual magnetic effects, the Light machine oil . ........ 5 1. 7.7
cylindrical rotors were made of 47 per cent Light machine oil . ........ 4 .I
Light machine oil...... 3... 1...I.......5.5
5.7
nickel steel. This construction is suitable Carbonyl iron *E .............. Light machine oil . 2.1.45
for d-c operation, while a lai0inated disk
construction would be more suitable for
cLighchone DCoil. 10. .8
Silicone DC 500. ....... 2 1
01
4.7
CarbonyI iron "SF.Light machine oil . 4. 1.4.3
a-c use. When alternating currents are Stainless steel flakes .......Light machine oil......3 ......I........3.3
used to energize the model, the torques Hydrogen reduced iron ......... Light miachine oil . ........ I
.5 . 2.3
are somewhat lower (Figure 28). Magnetic iron oxide . Light machine oil .
........... .7 ......... I 1.1

1312 Rabinow-The Magnetic Fluid Clutch AIEE TRANSACTIONS

 Figure 24. Exploded view of large electromagnetic fluid clutch (Fig-
ure 23). The parts are: (top) outer shell; (left to right) driving shaft,
attached to end plate, with leads connected to the slip rings shown,
inner member, attached to driven shaft; bearing and end-plate through
which dfiven shaft extends

Figure 22. Close-up of the midget auto bus,
with body removed, built to prove the prin-
ciple of the NBS magnetic fluid clutch. At
the top is the pivoted connector between the
model and the control box which operates the
models miniatue electric mot and cluthe
it appears that most of the shearing action
occurs at the surface of the plate, with a
great deal of rearrangement of particles.
It has been suggested that different types
of surfaces on the clutch plates may have
interesting effects on the behavior of such
clutches. Tests of these effects have not
yet been made.
It has been found that in this particular
clutch, a mixture of oil and carbonyl "E"
iron, which is composed of particles with
an average size of eight microns, gave the
best results. This may not be true of
other clutches or other conditions of tests.
When dry powder is used in the clutch,
the torques are of the same order of mag-
nitude as when mixed with oil but eccen-
tricity or misalignment of plates results
in erratic operation.
Since the speed of response is of para-
mount importance in servo-mechanisms,
the time of build-up and decay of torque
was measured. This was done by means
of a wire strain gauge attached to the rim
of the driven member. The input voltage
was applied to one pen of a multichannel
recorder while the strain gauge was made
a part of a 60-cycle bridge, the output of
which was applied to a second pen of the
recorder. The resulting record is shown in
Figure 32. It will be noted that the
torque rose and decayed in approximately
1/30 of a second. In some previous tests
with similar equipment, torque-rise and
torque-fall times of the order of 1/60 of a
second were obtained.
Following these experiments, two small
clutches (Figure 20) suitable for servo
work were built into a model auto bus
(Figure 22). In order to keep the con-
struction simple, the coil was placed on
the outside of the clutch proper. This
Figure 25. Cross-sectional
drawing showing how a
magnetic fluid clutch can be
expanded to have any de- s T
sired number of alternate
driver and driven plates.
This multiple-disk
very compact
E N
EAPANSION CHIAMEER
construction required only one seal,
achieved by using a small rubber "O"
ring. The slip rings consist of copper
wire wound in shallow grooves in a Bake-
The wires were soldered to-
lite drum. turned in a lathe to approxi-
gether and
mately half their original thickness. This
is also the type of construction used in the
slip rings of the clutch shown in Figure
26. The coils, wound of number 42
enamel wire, have a resistance of approxi-
mately 12,000 ohms each. The magnetic
circuit is made of 47 per cent nickel steel
as in the two previous cases, with gaps of
0.032 inch. It was found that a current of
eight milliamperes results in a torque of
two pound-inches. This is the value at
the knee of the saturation curve, with a
value of three pound-inches obtained4with
co,.
s., RINGS
, e
POLE PIECE

DRIVEN CYLINDER

Figure 26. Where low OLSA

inertia is required in the
driven member, as in high-
speed servo work, it is de-
sirable to make the exciting
~~~~~~~~ ~ coil and magnetic iron a
part of the driving member
Figure 23. Large electromagnetic Ruid clutch in so far as possible. This
of the type suited to use in automobiles and drawing of such a clutch RINGS
machinery. This clutch, only 6 inches in diam- shows a very thin driven
eter and 61/2 inches long, will transmit 40 member, all that is needed
horsepower at 3,000 rpm to pick up the torque CO L

1948, VOLUME 67 Rabinou-The Magnetic Fluid Clutch 1313

 Figure 27 (left) JI
Carbonyl Iron "E" Torque For vari
Light Mochine Oil L ous gaps-1-by- 8
9:9 by Weight 1 1/4-inch-cylin-
(Gapj.012", .3 mop.
D.C.) der clutch

(Gop .062, .3 Amp. D.C.) 6

It __
_____ 2___ g(Gop .02 .3Anp DD. C.) I
AS
(Gop :012" .1A'~ __ ______
I, ~
-~~ < (Gop .025", .1 Amp-D C) Carbonyl Iron E

(Gap.062, .tAmp DC) 2 _0 2_ -t ~~~~~~~~~~~~Light

Machine Oil
|___________________
_
-[~ --- rFigure 30. Torque
of 3..inch.. _
m 9:1 by Weight

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 clutch - static o .2 4 .6 .8 1.0 1.2
R P.M. test Current- D C. Amperes

100
T rr I | t28I (left).
Figure x
Carbonyl Iron E" Torques for alter-
Light Machine Oil | ___ _ |__ nating and direct 80- - j f --- t- --f-

9by Weight current- b-

_________cylin der clutch ol I____

~ ~ ~ ~ g
0
| iof h6- cyinc-
102"4p
I~~~~~~~ |'
Corbonyl Iron"E"
Speed- 1000RPM7 igure 31.Torque 20 Ligjht Machine Oil
.0t2" Gap, Of 6 -inch -

00 urn-mee
cylinder clutch
o. 2.
1 2 33
Current- D.C. Amperes
44 5 6

Current-Amperes

10 [ LlCr tonE - Figure 29 (left).

I LightMachine Ott ~~Torque versus - ..-.
I by Wegt ht speed-3-inch- - 20...
t l_ 1 | | disk clutch - -.-
(1.0 A`mp. DC.)---
- (O.8Amp D,C.)
-j (0.6 Amp D.C.) DJ
.
(0.4 Amp. D.C.) Figure 32. Time ~ Vi
0 ~~~~~~~response for disk ..~r.
clutch
2 -Amp.DC.)
that the shear force on smooth plates,
__I I I__I1200 1/16 inch thick, gave a maximum value of
0 200 400 600 800 1000 20 pounds per square inch of surface. The
R.P.M rectangular plate gave values greater than
those obtained later on circular plates due
approximately 24 milliamperes. One of ous plates can be tested easily. The mag- to the edge compression effects which it
the clutches is locked to the frame and is netic circuit is made of unannealed cold- caused. When the magnet is energized,
used as a brake. rolled steel, resulting in large values of the iron-oil mixture becomes practically
By controlling the current through the residual magnetism. This is overcome by solid and can be held in any position with-
clutch and brake, acceleration and de- means of a reversing switch provided in out spilling-
celeration can be controlled easily, and the electrical circuit. Using chambers Basing the design on the results ob-
the car can be made to rnn smoothly at with an internal width of 3/16 inch, it tained with this fixture, a much larger
low speed. The brake action is also very was foulnd that when a 1/16-inch steel clutch was built in the bureau shops.
smooth and positive, plate was inserted and the rest of the This clutch is shown in cross section in
In order to study the effects of various space filled with carbonyl "E" iron-o)il Figure 26, and assembled and disas-
surfaces, gap parameters, and other vani- mixture, the mlagnetic circuit reached the sembled in Figures 23 and 24. The mag-
ables, it was decided to build a unit where knee of its saturation curve with approxi- netic circuit again is of unannealed cold-
such changes could readily be accom- mately 60 volts applied. The central rolled steel with the end plates made of
plished (Figure 3). It was constructed plate (Figure 3) is kept centered in the dural. The coil has 600 turns of number
with aremovable chamber in which van- chamber by four brass pins. It was found 18 wire. Its total resistance is 3.5 ohms.

1314 Rabino-The Magnletic Fluid Clutch AIEE TRANSACTIONS


Figure 33. Low-inertia magnetic fluid clutch
In order to keep inertia of tite driveii
described previously, the clutch, shown in
Figures 33, 34, and 35 was designed. Two
symmetrical magnetic structures, slotted
to minimize eddy current effects, are em-
ployed on both sides of a thin magnetic
disk. The current-torque curve for this
clutch is shown in Figure 36. Tests were
miade on the speed of response of this
clutcli whea connected in the plate circuit
of a vaculumi tube. it was found that the
clutch caine up to a full speed of 1,270
rpmuabo1lts 1omilliseconds after the grid of
the voctuen tube was suitablv energized.
Applications of the Clutch
'lie results obtained by the National
l vureau of Standards in the experiments
ties. The new clutch should go far toward
solving such problems. While servo-
mechanisms can be operated by variable
speed motors, hydraulic transmissions,
and many other means, clutches and
brakes have the very great advantage of
low inertia-to-torque ratios. Electromag-
netic clutches are particularly adaptable
to serve as the final elements of electro-
mechanical amplifiers.
It was found by experiment that the
nature of the oil used in the magnetic
fluid clutch has relatively little bearing
on performance; hence, silicone liquids
may be employed with excellent results,
enabling the clutch to operate at very low
and very high temperatures, an important
consideration in military applications.
Anotler broad field of applications is

FAFNIR MD0 3ARLOCI( 25

~ ~ ~

Figure 34. Low-inertia clutch-disassembled Figure 35. Detail drawing of low-inertia

oti the several formtis of the iagnetic clutch
tluidclutch suggestmiany possible uses
for the niew electromagnetic device. The 50
menmer i low, llost of tile magnetic circuit automotive aptplication mentioned pre- 4
iron and the coil were miade part of the viouslv is, of course, the inost obvious
(trivilag structure. The drive
h member onie. Unlikewluidh couplinigs of the type 40
consists of a 1/16-inch-thicka cylitder now commot in automobiles, the clutch is
byrthested on a brass diskwlheIh in turn is niot a speed-sensitive device. If the load 35
fastened t t the driveni shaft. Rubber is below the slipping torque of the clutch,
"0" rings are used as seals as intdicated in no slippage occurs antd the mechanical la'75
the cross section drawing. II, the onl efficiencv of the clutch is t peer cent. 5
20 l
test imade so far, the cluth was mounted The feature whieh particularly adapts the
in a vise and the output siaft was turned new clutch to automobile use is its easy
bytheruse ofha 3-foot lever. Itwas found controllability, which makes it especiallyil
that in this particular design, the static attractive for use in automatic trans-
friction at high torques was not equal to missions where periatently enigaged gear to 3
the torque when the clutvedwas slipping, trains are clutched in and out, depending clut
the irst tiiie this was fotud to be the case upon the speed ratio required. Since the
for such clutcles. The reaions for the aneounts of electrical power required to 0 5 10 S 20e 25 30 35 40
difference have niot yet beeno ascertaineed, the niagnetic
control clutch are small, it Mill-Amperes (Wal)
The change of torque anttouitited to ap- is a simple matter to interlock the elec- 2' Low-inertia magnetic fluid clutch
proximately 25 per cent. nlowever, the trical circuits witl the speed, throttle Figure 36. Current-torque characteristic of
slipping tor(Iue, as observed oni a spring settinig and power denmands. low-inertia clutch
scale driving the torque arni, appears to The field where these noew clutclies are
be very smioothi. Thie relationship) be- expecte-d to finid their nliain application, in constant-torque and overload devices
tween torque and the miagnietizing current however, is in servomnechanisius. Ilere, where the clutch is never de-energized.
is shown in Figure 31. Again no s(Iuare- frictioni clutches have b)een used, but Permanent magnet clutches are. particu-
law effect is apparenit. Additional tests their lack of smoothness, the changes in larly useful for such service.
ont this clutcli are under wav. characteristics caused by wear, their _ _______________
In order to achiieve higlier torque-to- nonlinearity, and the poor reproducibilityNoDsu in
inertia ratios than in any of the clutches of results have given rise to great difficul- No Discussion
1948, VOLUME 67 Rabinow- --The Magnetic Fluid Clutch 1315