Dynamic response time of a metal foam magneto-rheological damper

Magneto-rheological (MR) dampers are a promising type of semi-active control device for various dynamic systems. Recently, low-cost MR dampers without any sealing structure have been required. Motivated by the desire to overcome the need for the costly dynamic seals of conventional MR dampers, a new type of metal foam MR damper is proposed in this study and the dynamic response performance is also investigated. The metal foam is firmly adhered to a working cylinder to store the unexcited MR fluids. In the action of a magnetic field, MR fluids will be extracted from the metal foam and fill up the shear gap to produce the MR effect. Three time parameters related to response time are introduced to further describe the dynamic response process. The results show that, due to the period required for extracting the MR fluids out from the metal foam, the time to produce the damper force of the metal foam MR damper is longer than for conventional fluid-filled MR dampers. The response time of the metal foam MR damper will change with different currents and shear rates. Given a constant shear rate, in a small range of currents (0–1.5 A), the response time decreases rapidly as the operating current increases; however, there is a slower change rate in larger ranges. To evaluate the effect of shear rate on response time, shear rates ranging from 2 to 10 s−1 are tested, and the results demonstrate that with increasing shear rates the response time decreases.