Damping of an Elastic Beam Using an MR Suspension in the Squeeze Mode

Magneto-rheological (MR) suspensions are actively used in damping devices. As a rule these suspensions are made of magnetic particles in a carrier fluid. In this paper we study a device aiming to control the vibration of a plate by using a MR fluid. The magnetic field is used both to control the viscosity and to confine the drop of fluid in the field gradient. A theoretical investigation of the motion of the plate is given together with the prediction of the damping decrement, assuming that the magnetic fluid follows a Bingham law. Experiments have been realized and are compared with theoretical predictions.