Ferrofluid-mediated active suppression methodology for stick-slip mitigation

Abstract

The stick-slip phenomenon, a ubiquitous behavior characterized by intermittent transitions between static friction and kinetic motion, manifests extensively across engineering applications. This study proposes a ferrofluid-based suppression strategy to overcome the stick-slip phenomenon. Through the strategic configuration of external magnetic fields, we demonstrate that ferrofluids can generate tunable supporting forces enabling velocity- and load-independent anti-stick-slip capability of up to 1 mm/s in velocity and 4.0 N in load. The proposed approach establishes a paradigm-shifting solution for precision motion control systems requiring micron-level stability, particularly those involving micro-displacement operations, high-precision positioning requirements, or ultra-smooth motion profiles. It has potential for implementation in advanced manufacturing platforms such as precision machine tools, and MEMS devices, where traditional tribological solutions prove inadequate.