Non-dimensional analysis for effective design of semi-active electrorheological damping control systems

Abstract

This paper presents a non-dimensional analysis for effective design of semi-active electro- rheological (ER) damping control systems. The non-dimensional equations consist of the Bingham number, the non-dimensional damping force, the dynamic range and the non-dimensional geometric parameter. After showing the effectiveness of the proposed analysis scheme through a comparative examination of predictions and measured values of the non-dimensional damping force, sequential steps for the ER damper design have been developed. A flow mode type ER damper, considering control performance of a semi-active quarter-car system, has been designed on the basis of the proposed non-dimensional design steps. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed non-dimensional design methodology, the field-dependent damping forces of an ER damper have been experimentally evaluated and compared with those obtained from the non-dimensional analysis.