Mechanical behavior of a torsional shear thickening fluid damper

Abstract

This study utilizes a fatigue testing machine to examine the damping moment response of the torsional shear thickened fluid (STF) damper (T-STF-D) under various loading velocities. In the first stage, three STF samples were prepared using nano-silica and polyethylene glycol, and their shear thickening properties were verified using a rheometer. Next, the theoretical model of the T-STF-D was established based on the parallel plate theory, and its validity was confirmed through experimental data. Afterward, a prototype of the T-STF-D was designed and fabricated, and its dynamic response was tested at different velocities over both short- and long-term periods. The findings reveal that the T-STF-D exhibits favorable damping performance as the loading velocity increases, and the initial damping moment rises with the augmentation of loading velocity. However, the damping moment decays exponentially with time during loading. Given this behavior, a phenomenal model is subsequently proposed in this study to forecast the damping moment, and the experimental data provide evidence for the accuracy and effectiveness of this model.