System Identification and Real Application of the Smart Magneto-Rheological Damper

Configuration of a magnetorheological (MR) damper is similar to a traditional fluid damper. The difference is that a magnetorheological damper uses MR fluid to replace traditional hydraulic oil. MR fluid is composed of many tiny magnetic particles suspended in silicon oil. Without a magnetic field, the fluid acts like traditional hydraulic oil. With a magnetic field, the magnetic particles chain together, and the magnetorheological fluid acts like a solid. The first objective of this research is to test the performance of a custom-designed MR damper under dynamic loading conditions. An on-line identification algorithm and modified Bouc-Wen model are used to identify a mathematical model of the MR damper performance according to experimental results. The second primary objective is the real application of the magnetorheological damper with an experimental structure. Results from a shake table test of a semi-active controlled base-isolation system that employs the smart MR damper are presented