Design and modeling of an innovative magnetorheological fluid-elastomeric damper with compact structure

The aim of the present work is to propose an innovative magnetorheological fluid-elastomeric damper which is applied to small amplitude vibration reduction occasions, especially for helicopter rotor. The damper is compact in structure and possesses the controllable dynamic characteristics. The magnetic circuit structure of the damper is designed and optimized emphatically in order to ensure its rationality. After the completion of the prototype, the damper is tested by a hydraulically actuated dynamic testing system under different excitation amplitudes, excitation frequencies, and input currents. Subsequently, a new phenomenological model is established to describe the nonlinear behavior of the proposed magnetorheological fluid-elastomeric damper. A series of parameter identification is conducted to fit both this model and Bouc–Wen model to experimental data for the purpose of verifying the accuracy of the established model.