subject: Tomorrow's Technology Applied Today In The Automotive Industry [print this page] Tomorrow's Technology Applied Today In The Automotive Industry
With the adage a few small things can change the world, imagine what trillions of particles that are only nanometers wide can do. That is exactly what ferrofluid is and true to the old saying ferrofluid truly can change the world we live in today. Nowhere is this change more apparent currently than in the automotive industry. Due to the excellent ability to perform thermomagnetic convection, this relatively new fluid is revolutionizing the industry in a variety of ways including speakers, seals, and shock absorbers.
First of all however, a brief background of Ferrofluid should be discussed. With a name based off the Latin root ferrum, meaning iron, this substance is typically comprised of particles of magnetite or hematite which contain iron suspended within an organic or water based liquid. When these particles are dispersed using surfactant they allow the base liquid to become colloidal in nature and the coating given by the surfactant process prevents magnetic and Van Der Waals forces from clumping the iron based particles. The end result is a fluid capable of multiple phases of matter that is superparamagnetic.
The real question now happens to be how is all this useful. Ferrofluids are excellent seals around just about any shaped object when a small magnetic force is applied. This allows for a completely airtight and watertight seal that will literally never wear down due to friction or years of abuse since by its very nature seal is fluid and movable. The importance of this property should not be underestimated especially when considering the driveshaft on a car. Currently, many manufacturers are using ferrofluids to create sealing systems to lock the driveshaft into the drive train when using all wheel drive. By having a button activate an electromagnet within the differential an instantaneous complete seal can be created locking the two together. Yet that is not all ferrofluid is useful for on a car.
With many today looking for the latest in high performance motorsports the next area to add this wonderful semi-liquid to are the shock absorbers. By using a lubricant such as oil based ferrofluid on the fly adjustments are easy and extremely effective in dampening or stiffening shocks. Traction control systems or driver preferences are both areas that are huge impacted by an infinite number of different shock settings controlled by a simple electromagnet.
Today ferrofluid is revolutionizing the automotive industry in a wide variety of ways by creating the ability to truly allow cars to perform at their peak levels or even just adjust to what the driver prefers. Even now, advancements are being made in the industry to apply this new and exciting technology to more areas of vehicles and create rides we can only dream of today. Certainly this is a technology to watch well into the future as more high end products begin to take advantage of all the excellent properties ferrofluid offers.
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