On the Performance vs. Energy Consumption Tradeoff With Semi-Active Vibration Control Using an MR-Fluid Damper

This paper discusses the issue of seeking reduced energy requirements of a magnetorheological (MR) fluid damper for vibration control through semi-active methods, without suffering unacceptable losses in performance. An experimental study is presented in which an MR fluid damper is used to suppress vibrations in a simply-supported beam under harmonic excitation. Two semi-active control approaches are compared to the “fully-on” control situation. The results show that the MR damper can be activated only for part of the vibration cycle and still provide significant vibration suppression.