Proportional Feedback Control of an Electro-Rheological Vibration Damper

In this paper, the authors derive a quasi-steady model of an electro-rheological damper under proportional feedback control. Using this model it is shown how, through the choice of two gain terms, the input/output characteristic of the closed-loop system can be linearised. Also, through the choice of a third gain term, the slope of the force/velocity line can be determined. A numerical study compares the performance of openand closed-loop schemes and indicates clearly the working range over which linear behaviour can be obtained.