| The goal of this study is to assess the feasibility of a small-scale compressible magneto-rheological (CMR) damper for a tracked vehicle suspension system. The feature of the CMR damper combines the functions of a liquid spring and a controllable fluid damper together, which increases the mobility of these heavy vehicles while improving the stability and safety as well.The proposed CMR damper consists of a cylinder, piston-rod arrangement with an annular MR valve. The internal pressure in the chambers on either side of the piston develops the spring force. The damping force is developed when the fluid flows through the MR valve. A fluid-mechanics based model is considered to predict the behavior of the device under sinusoidal input. In addition, the non-dimensional analysis of the proposed model is presented which can be used as a tool for design analysis and scalability of the CMR dampers.The performance of the CMR damper filled with pure silicone oil and a MR fluid are studied under oscillatory vibrations for various frequencies and applied magnetic fields. Experimental results show good agreement with the theoretical predictions. The CMR damper generates a considerable spring rate and controllable damping force based on the required tracked vehicle specifications. |
