A disk-type magneto-rheological fluid damper for rotor system vibration control

Based on the particular characteristic of a magneto-rheological (MR) fluid, i.e., a rapid, reversible and dramatic change in its rheological properties produced by the application of an external magnetic field, a simple disk-type MR fluid damper operating in shear flow mode is presented in this paper. The magnetic field of the disk-type MR fluid damper is analyzed by the finite element method in order to show if the design is reasonable. The effect of excitation current in the coil on the magnetic flux density in the axial gaps filled with the MR fluid is studied both theoretically and experimentally. Finally, the effectiveness of the disk-type MR fluid damper for attenuating the vibration of rotor systems and of a simple open-loop on-off control based on the feedback of rotational speed for controlling vibration of rotor systems are experimentally studied in a flexible rotor system. It is shown that the dynamic characteristics of the disk-type MR fluid damper can be easily controlled by a steady magnetic field produced by a simple electrical magnetic coil with a low DC current (less than 1 A) and that the disk-type MR fluid damper is very effective for attenuating and controlling the vibration of the rotor systems. It is possible to supply the optimum supporting damping for every vibration mode in the rotor system by using the disk-type MR damper, if the location of the disk-type MR fluid damper in the rotor is properly chosen.