Magnetorheological Fluid and Damper - Exactly where Are They Implemented?

This is a list of a small number of general applications of MR fluid and MR dampers, in order to give a short understanding of the range of the things that this “smart fluid” could accomplish. Clearly, the bias might be on the actuator part, because of that being my key focus on this issue.

The following is not a absolutely all-inclusive list of utilization of a magnetorheological fluid or damper. This discipline of engineering is developing all the time and every single year brings about some new application. After the fluid has been developed and can be produced reliably, the possible array of applications is vast.

Vehicles

One of the most general areas of implementation of the magnetorheological fluid is the automotive field. Due to the rather heavy cost, it has been bundled primarily in “high-end” motor vehicles where the relative price tag of the actuator does not weigh a lot. So far (amongst many others) the subsequent car models have incorporated a semi-active damper in their suspension: Audi R8, Chevrolet Corvette and Humvee, just to name a few.

Buildings

As well constructions located in a region with higher amount of seismic activity frequently employ vibration dampers making use of magnetorheological fluid. When compared with fully active dampers, a semi-active choice is especially lucrative in these kinds of uses, because they require a rather low level of electrical power, which may many times be presented even if the main electricity source of the property is blocked.

Bridges

Very long bridges are under some comparable or maybe more difficult circumstances. Not only might the ground begin moving or the bridge get heavy traffic, but also a storm wind can blow so hard that it tests the limits of the hardware design. According to a report that studies bridges applying magnetorheological fluid dampers, the test outcomes have been an improvement versus the industry custom.

Farming

Tractor cabin suspension is a particular utilisation that has been researched in the area of magnetorheological fluid dampers. The idea is quite much like semi-active auto suspension, though the intention is more to stop a much wider number of cabin activity: vertical and rolling movement and pitching, for instance. This is probably the damper location closest to the human body that has been introduced and used.

Military

Ok, an exception to the last statement is in fact the body armor - my personal favorite. It provides the advantages of average outfit: it's easy and convenient to wear, it covers up joints, it's light to bear. However what's truly excellent inside it, is that by producing a magnetic field within just milliseconds, the armour that contains magnetorheological fluid turns into a bullet proof outfit.

Now how Matrix is that?

Nonetheless, I have not heard that the armour would be in production though.

Magnetorheological Fluid as Engineering Platform

An additional advantage in applying a controllable fluid in a fresh industry is that after installing for example a magnetorheological damper, the technology then enables the use of ever evolving regulation solutions. Also, the long line of algorithms originally developed for other purposes is already out there to be utilized. In other words, the magnetorheological fluid sets up a sort of a platform for many future algorithmic improvements requiring little - if any - changes to the physical device.