Design and Analysis of Eddy Current Damper

Eddy currents are generated in a non-magnetic material as they move along stationary or time-varying magnetic fields. Eddy Current Damper (ECD) incorporates the phenomenon of eddy currents generation and is used for vibration attenuation. In the presented work, the design of an ECD with the use of high-energy rare earth magnets, ferromagnetic spacers, and an aluminum conductor has been discussed. ECDs are simple and mechanically robust. They do not need an external power supply and are simple to design. In this paper, finite element analysis and experimental validation of ECD have been presented. The damping force has been estimated by using finite element formulation with Lenz's law. Further, a prototype has been built with the use of high-energy rare earth magnets, and damping force generated along an aluminum conductor has been measured for harmonic excitations provided to ECD. It has been noticed that finite element simulation can estimate the damping force in ECD with an accuracy of 2.5 %.