Performance analysis of magnetorheological plastomer dampers with different annular shear gaps

Abstract

Magnetorheological plastomer (MRP) dampers are controllable semi-active smart devices, which are commonly used in the field of vehicle suspension systems, structural engineering, aerospace engineering and military equipment. This study was conducted to numerically investigate the performance of MRP dampers with different annular shear gap sizes. The MRP used in the analysis consisted of 60% Carbonyl Iron Powder (CIP) and 40% Polyurethane Matrix (MRP60). The focus of the analysis was on the MRP60 flow behaviour in the annular shear gap region, where the induced magnetic field generated a range of dynamic damping forces depending on the size of the annular shear gap. The numerical simulation involved an integration of the finite element analysis (FEA) to examine the magnetic field in the annular shear gap region as well as the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to simulate the damping characteristics of the MRP damper. The relationship between the yield stress and the magnetic flux density for MRP60 was used for the analysis. The results of the FEA showed that as the size of the annular shear gap increased, the magnetic flux density and the yield stress decreased. From the CFD results, it was observed that the damping force decreased as a result of increasing the size of annular shear gap.