Development of the experimental setup for testing magneto-deformation properties of magnetoactive materials

The paper deals with an experimental setup that is designed to help test magnetoactive materials with regard to the control of deformation connected with magnetic and thermal stimuli. The architecture of the setup is divided into direct and supervisory control layers, in which positioning, magnetic field generation, temperature stabilization, measurement and supervisory subsystems are distinguished. The subsystems are characterized in terms of the electro-mechanical structure and the functions implemented in the software environment. The data processing procedure, enabling evaluation of the setup operation correctness and testing possibilities, is described. The software implementation in the setup allows the correlation between deformation, magnetic flux density, temperature of the tested sample and energy factors of the actuator to be determined. The verification test of the setup was conducted, taking into account actuator influence, imaging of the sample surface, imaging of magnetic flux density, and monitoring of temperature impact. The exemplary tests are performed using a membrane-shaped sample made of a magnetorheological elastomer.