  We have employed the multiple image method to compute the interparticle force
for a polydisperse electrorheological (ER) fluid in which the suspended
particles can have various sizes and different permittivites. The point-dipole
(PD) approximation being routinely adopted in computer simulation of ER fluids
is shown to err considerably when the particles approach and finally touch due
to multipolar interactions. The PD approximation becomes even worse when the
dielectric contrast between the particles and the host medium is large. From
the results, we show that the dipole-induced-dipole (DID) model yields very
good agreements with the multiple image results for a wide range of dielectric
contrasts and polydispersity. As an illustration, we have employed the DID
model to simulate the athermal aggregation of particles in ER fluids both in
uniaxial and rotating fields. We find that the aggregation time is
significantly reduced. The DID model accounts for multipolar interaction
partially and is simple to use in computer simulation of ER fluids.
