Controllable Vibration of the Car-Body Using Magnetorheological Fluid Damper

The magnetorheological (MR) fluid can be changed from free-flowing and linear viscous liquid into semi-solid only in milliseconds by the applying magnetic field. The damper is one of the important components in a car suspension. Therefore, the MR fluid damper has been a very attractive subject for the controllable suspension of a car. In this paper, based on experimental data, a parametric model of MR damper consisted of hysteretic property and variable viscosity which was proportional to the applied voltage was proposed. MR damper as passive and semi-active types was taken as an electronic control unit in 4 degree-of-freedom half car model. The vertical and pitching responses of body and the suspension travel responses were analyzed, which indicated the advantages of MR damper.