Design optimization and experimental characterization of a rotary magneto-rheological fluid damper to control torsional vibration

Abstract

This paper aims at optimum design formulation of a rotary disk-type magneto-rheological (MR) fluid damper to increase its torsional vibration control performance. The objective is to maximize the torsional damping torque for a given volume, geometric and inertia constraints. The damping torque has been derived based on Bingham plastic model for a commercial MR fluid provided by Lord corporation. As MR fluid’s yield strength directly depends on the applied magnetic field intensity, an analytical magnetic circuit analysis has been conducted to approximately evaluate the magnetic field intensity in the MR fluid gap. A finite element model of the rotary MR damper has also been developed to evaluate the magnetic field distribution. A formal design optimization problem has then been formulated to maximize the dynamic range for a given volume under geometric, inertia and torque ratio constraints. Genetic algorithm combined with sequential quadratic programming method has been utilized to accurately capture the global optimum solution. Finally, a proof-of-concept of the optimal design has been manufactured and then tested experimentally to investigate the generated damping torque under different current excitation and also to validate the model and optimization strategy.