Damping Performance Analysis of Magnetorheological Damper Based on Multiphysics Coupling

Abstract

Magnetorheological (MR) damper performance is evaluated only by single-field analysis in the design process, which can easily lead to larger design errors. Based on this, a simulation method of MR damper considering multiphysics coupling was proposed. According to a certain automobile shock absorber requirement, an MR damper suitable for automobile suspension was designed. The mechanical model, electromagnetic field model, flow field model, and structural stress field model of the MR damper were deduced and established. To investigate the damping performance of the MR damper more accurately, the multiphysics coupling simulation model was established by COMSOL software, and coupling analysis of the electromagnetic field, flow field, and structural stress field was also carried out. The static magnetic field characteristics, dynamic flow field characteristics, stress distribution, and dynamic performance of the proposed MR damper under the action of multiphysics coupling were obtained. The simulation results show that the damping force is 1134.6 N, and the damping adjustable coefficient is 9.1 at an applied current of 1.4 A. A test system was established to analyze the dynamic performance of the MR damper, and the simulation results were compared with the experimental results. The results show that the simulated and experimental results have the same change rule. Moreover, the damping force increases with the applied current, and different external excitations have little effect on the damping force. The damper can output appropriate damping force and has a wide adjustable damping range. The experimental results illustrate that the damping force is 1200.0 N, and the damping adjustable coefficient is 10.1 when the current is 1.4 A. The error between simulation and experiment of the damping force and damping adjustable coefficient is only 5.5% and 9.9%, respectively.