Nonlinear viscoelastic-plastic mechanisms-based model of an electrorheological damper

Abstract

A combined theoretical and experimental study of an electrorheological (ER) fluid damper is presented. An ER dashpot damper was built and its dynamic characteristics tested at different electric field strengths and varying displacement amplitudes. A nonlinear model is proposed that describes the dynamic behavior of the damper. The model is constructed using a nonlinear combination of linear mechanisms. The mechanisms are chosen based on the experimentally observed preyield and postyield characteristics of the damper behavior. The model parameters are estimated from the experimental hysteresis data. The force vs displacement and force vs velocity hysteresis cycles are then reconstructed using these estimated parameters. The results show that the model captures the nonlinear damper behavior quite accurately. The importance of the various components in the model is illustrated.