An
electrorheological clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
(ER clutch) comprises drive and driven members, generally parallel to each other, that can be selectively engaged by the application of a voltage to an electrorheological (ER) fluid. The
ER fluid is used as the coupling between the input and the output (drive and driven members). The clutch acts as a power amplifier and the effect is fast (of the order of milliseconds) and reversible.
See also
*
Electromagnetic clutch
Electromagnetic clutches operate electrically but transmit torque mechanically. This is why they used to be referred to as electro-mechanical clutches. Over the years, EM became known as electromagnetic versus electro-mechanical, referring more a ...
References
External links
HowStuffWorks has a detailed explanationof the working of a clutch.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Electrorheological Clutch
Clutches
Automotive transmission technologies