Smart materials for experimental tectonics: Viscous behavior of magnetorheological silicones

Magnetorheological (MR) materials are a relatively new class of materials whose mechanical properties can be controlled by a magnetic field. In this work, we investigate the viscous behavior of MR silicones, i.e., mixtures of Polydimethyl Siloxane (PDMS) and carbonyl iron powder, for analog modeling purposes. The rheological properties were determined using a parallel plate rheometer equipped with a variable strength electromagnet. We measured viscosity, yield stress and response time of MR silicone samples in a wide range of strain rates as a function of concentration of carbonyl iron powder and applied magnetic field. We find that MR silicones in the unmagnetized state show a transition from Newtonian to shear-thinning behavior for increasing strain rates. In the magnetized state, MR silicones behave as Herschel-Bulkley, shear-thinning fluids. Viscosity, yield stress and power-law exponent increase as a function of carbonyl iron powder concentration and magnetic field. A simple experiment is presented to demonstrate how the rheology of the analog material can be easily controlled during an experimental run, a condition that is challenging to achieve with other materials commonly used in experimental tectonics.