ELECTRORHEOLOGICAL FLUIDS AND THE CONTROL OF HIGH-SPEED MACHINES

Full realisation of the potential value of increasing the speed at which machines can be operated is limited by the problem of adjusting them to rapidly changing demands, measured perhaps in fractions of a millisecond. The inertia of electromechanical devices which have served well in the past make them increasingly inadequate for modern needs. Electrorheology holds out the prospect of control devices which are both highly sensitive and economically viable. This article reviews progress made and problems to be faced.