High energy dissipation magnetorheological effect for harsh vibration and impact environments: contribution of dynamic hydrogen bonding

Abstract Severe vibrations and impacts, which result in structural damage and equipment failure, are prevalent in vehicle engineering and aerospace fields. Magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) can offer continuously tunable damping in response to an applied magnetic field, rendering them well-suited for mechanical systems that require active vibration control. However, the field-induced chain-like structures within MRFs tend to break down under harsh vibration or impact loading, severely degrading the MR damper’s stability and energy dissipation capacity. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) can effectively strengthen molecular interactions in MRFs through dynamic hydrogen bonding, thereby improving the stability of the chain-like structures. By tailoring the composition and proportion of their hydrogen bond acceptors and hydrogen bond donors, DESs can significantly improve the damping performance of MRFs under harsh vibration or impact loading. We developed a series of MRFs with DESs as the carrier liquids, featuring tunable hydrogen bond strength and viscosity. These MRFs exhibit either a broader tunable stress range or a higher yield stress, thus meeting protection requirements under various vibration and impact environments. The dynamic performance of the DES-based MRFs was evaluated using a dual-channel MR damper. Compared with the viscosity-matched silicone oil-based counterpart, the DES-based MRF damper exhibits up to a 22.5% wider tunable damping range and a 11.8% higher energy dissipation capacity under harsh vibration and impact conditions. This research presents a novel solution for high stability and energy dissipation in automotive suspensions, aircraft landing gears, and other engineering systems under various vibration and impact environments.