Multiscale modeling of magnetorheological suspensions

Abstract

We develop a multiscale approach to describe the behavior of a suspension of solid magnetizable particles in a viscous non-conducting fluid in the presence of an externally applied magnetic field. By upscaling the quasi-static Maxwell equations coupled with the Stokes' equations we are able to capture the magnetorheological effect. The model we obtain generalizes the one introduced by Neuringer & Rosensweig for quasistatic phenomena. We derive the macroscopic constitutive properties explicitly in terms of the solutions of local problems. The effective coefficients have a nonlinear dependence on the volume fraction when chain structures are present. The velocity profiles computed for some simple flows, exhibit an apparent yield stress and the flow profile resembles a Bingham fluid flow.