Experimental Investigation of the Energy Dissipated in a Magneto-Rheological Damper for Semi-Active Vehicle Suspensions

Magneto-rheological (MR) fluid dampers are often characterized by their field-dependent yield stress. This fielddependent yield stress and their fast response time make MR fluid dampers attractive alternatives to conventional viscous dampers. In comparing passive dampers with MR dampers, an equivalent viscous damping coefficient is often found from the energy dissipated by the MR damper. This study considers the energy dissipated by the MR damper under semi-active control. A hybrid control policy for semi-active vehicle suspensions is considered. A quarter car rig was used to evaluate the dynamics of the hybrid suspension using an MR damper. The steady-state performance of hybrid control is investigated with regard to the RMS displacements and accelerations of the sprung and unsprung masses. A frequency domain analysis is also presented. The transmissibilities of the sprung and unsprung masses are found using a range specific chirp signal. Results indicate that hybrid control with equal contributions from skyhook and groundhook can offer benefits to both the sprung and unsprung masses. With the performance of the hybrid semi-active suspension known, the study then considers the energy dissipated by the MR damper under hybrid control. An investigation into the possible correlation between performance and the energy dissipated by the MR damper is presented. Force-displacement curves are generated and an energy ratio is introduced. The energy ratio is the energy metric used to evaluate the energy dissipation of the MR damper. The energy ratio is defined as the ratio of the energy dissipated by the MR damper and the energy input into the system. The results indicate that the MR damper under hybrid control can dissipate nearly 70% of the energy input to the system.