| abstract |
An active controllable, shear thickening, field responsive device is disclosed and contains a fluid including a carrier component and at least about 40 percent by volume, based on the total volume of the fluid, of a particle component. The fluid can comprise either a field responsive dispersed particle component or a field responsive carrier. The field responsive dispersed phase fluid comprises magnetic- or electrical-responsive particles having a specified average particle size. When subjected to a predetermined shear rate and, optionally, a predetermined magnetic or electrical field, the shear thickening composition undergoes a dramatic and substantial increase in viscosity and shear stress over a very short time period. |