Effects of curing field and anisotropy orientation on the large-amplitude oscillatory axial (LAOA) tension–compression properties of magnetorheological elastomers

Abstract Magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) are smart composites whose mechanical properties can be actively tuned by an external magnetic field. This study experimentally examines the effects of preparation magnetic flux density ( B pre ) and anisotropy orientation on the viscoelastic and nonlinear behavior of MREs. Seven sample groups were fabricated with particle chains aligned at 0° and 90°, prepared under B pre of 0, 200, 400, and 600 mT. Dynamic large-amplitude oscillatory axial (LAOA) tension-compression tests were performed over strain amplitudes of 4–16%, frequencies of 1–7 Hz, and applied magnetic flux densities of 0-300 mT. Results indicate B pre -stiffening and B pre -dampening effects due to stronger particle chain structures, particularly in 0°-aligned samples. Moreover, tensile and compressive storage and loss moduli are consistently higher for the 0° orientation than for the 90° orientation. Additionally, increasing B pre reduces the relative magnetorheological effect, indicating that magnetic saturation is reached at high flux densities. The relative MR effect is also higher for the 90° orientation than for the 0° orientation. An innovative phenomenological model incorporating B pre and anisotropy orientation is proposed and validated against experimental data. The model’s ability to predict beyond the training range is assessed. Results show the model accurately captures the nonlinear hysteretic response of MREs under various loading conditions, providing a robust tool for designing MRE-based devices operating in tension-compression mode.