Multi-physics coupling simulation and experimental validation of magnetorheological dampers with temperature effects considered

Abstract Magnetorheological dampers (MRDs) have become widely utilized for shock resistance and vibration mitigation due to their exceptional damping adjustability by magnetic control. However, researchers show that wide temperature range variations significantly affect their mechanical properties. As a typical system of coupled thermal–magnetic-fluid–solid multi-physical fields, the temperature factor complicates the coupling, making it hard to reveal its influence mechanism. Consequently, this study proposed a full-size, multi-physics field coupling simulation method considering the temperature effect for a single-outlet rod MRD with gas compensation to accurately characterize and predict its nonlinear mechanical properties at different temperatures. Firstly, the temperature and magneto-sensitive properties of magnetorheological fluids are described based on the Bingham model. A thermo–magnetic-fluid–solid multi-physics coupling mathematical model is established by integrating theories with thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and fluid mechanics. Then, based on the above theoretical model, a multi-physics field finite element simulation model is approved by the COMSOL platform to simulate the mechanical properties under different currents, velocities, and temperature conditions. Finally, tests are executed at temperatures ranging from −40 °C to 100 °C to verify mechanical performance under different working situations. The model’s accuracy is validated, with an average F PRE of 5.4%, an average F RRMSE of 10.3%. This research provides an effective method for revealing the mechanism and predicting the damping force of MRD at different temperatures.