Performance Evaluation of a Hollowed Multi-Drum Magnetorheological Brake Based on Finite Element Analysis Considering Hollow Casing Radius

Based on the rheological effect of magnetorheological (MR) fluid, MR brake is a promising actuator due to its passiveness, high torque density, and low power consumption. This paper focuses on a unique hollowed multi-drum MR brake which has a hollow casing and several drum-like rotors and stators and evaluates the influence of the hollow casing radius on the performance of this brake. First, the brakes with different hollow casing radii were optimized via finite element analysis to obtain the optimal designs. Then, the torque, volume, mass, and power consumption including torque volume, torque mass, and torque power ratios were calculated to conduct the performance evaluation. According to the results, the suggestion on the hollow casing radius was given in the hollowed multi-drum brake design. To validate finite element analysis, the brake with 8-mm hollow casing radius was fabricated, assembled, and tested. The test results were generally consistent with the results of finite element analysis.