Characterization of magneto-rheological fluid having elongated ferrous particles and its implementation in MR damper for three-wheeler passenger vehicle

Abstract

In the present research work, Magneto-rheological (MR) fluid consisting of fiber-like elongated carbonyl ferrous particles as dispersed phase is characterized and the dynamic performance of the three-wheeled vehicle with an (MR) damper has been analyzed and discussed. Broadly, this paper has two segments, in the first segment, different proportions of MR fluid, that is, 10%, 15%, and 20% of volume fraction, are prepared and the corresponding rheological behaviors are studied experimentally at different current levels. In the second segment, the experimentally obtained properties of MR fluids are used to estimate the dynamic force of MR damper by using a non-parametric model of the flow-mode MR damper. Mathematical modeling of three-wheeler vehicle having MR damper model with proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control has been developed and the ride comfort and stability performances under poor road condition are studied. The result shows that the three-wheeler passenger vehicle equipped with an MR damper-based suspension system provides better ride comfort and stability with 27.6% reduction in bounce, 81.8% reduction in pitch, and 27.6% reduction in the roll motion of the body when compared to its passive suspension counterpart.