Effective design strategy for a high-viscosity magnetorheological fluid–based energy absorber with multi-stage radial flow mode

High-viscosity linear polysiloxane–based magnetorheological fluid features its excellent suspension stability. Few reports could be found for magnetorheological energy absorbers using such highly viscous but highly stable magnetorheological fluids as the controlled medium. This study presents a design strategy for the high-viscosity linear polysiloxane–based magnetorheological fluid–based magnetorheological energy absorber with multi-stage radial flow mode. The design strategy is based on the Herschel–Bulkley flow model incorporating minor losses proposed in our prior work. The optimal geometrical parameters were obtained by gradually reducing the number of unknown variables. By analyzing the effect of thicknesses of baffle and outer cylinder and number of coil turns on magnetic circuit, the distribution of magnetic flux in the effective region of magnetorheological valve was optimized. Furthermore, a magnetorheological energy absorber was fabricated and tested using a high-speed drop tower facility with a 600 kg mass. The maximum nominal impact velocity was 4.2 m/s, and the applied current varied discretely from 0, 1, 2, to 3 A. Comparison of our Herschel–Bulkley flow model with measured data was conducted via analysis of peak force, dynamic range, and maximum displacement that indicate the performance of magnetorheological energy absorber. The results validated the effectiveness of the design strategy for the high-viscosity linear polysiloxane–based magnetorheological fluid–based magnetorheological energy absorber.