Parallel Field Segmentation Concept in ER/MR Dampers for a simpler Control System

Electro- and magnetorheological fluid-based (ER/MR) dampers are one of the innovative inventions in damper technologies. By using ER/MR dampers, the damping in a vibratory system can be adjusted by varying the applied field in the damper. However, several additional features such as force sensor, power amplifier, and additional bypass are required to improve the performance of the ER/MR dampers. In this work, a parallel field segmentation concept of ER/MR dampers is presented. By using this concept, the aforementioned additional components could be spared. The performance of the ER/MR dampers using this new concept is compared to the conventional one through simulation under ideal conditions. The dampers are controlled using a skyhook control method to reduce the vibration of an mass in a one-degree-of-freedom vibratory system. The comparison of the results has shown that the ER/MR damper with the proposed concept could perform almost as well as the conventional one, which needs more components. This concept can therefore be a different design approach of an ER/MR damper.