A magnetic flux leakage study of a self-decoupling magnetorheological damper

The self-decoupling magnetorheological (SDMR) damper is a type of sensitive device with distinct damping characteristics at different amplitudes. This paper first describes the independently designed SDMR damper and its magnetic circuit structure. Then, through the combination of finite element analysis and experimental study, it discusses the magnetic flux leakage (MFL) of the magnetic circuits of the main piston and the sub-piston. The results show that large errors exist between the finite element analysis and the experimental results. Thus, in the magnetic circuit design phase, the impact of MFL should be properly considered. For the SDMR damper in this paper, setting the MFL factor at 2.2 for the magnetic circuit of the main piston and at 2.4 for the magnetic circuit of the sub-piston, the finite element simulation results and experimental results are in good agreement, and the results can be used as a reference for the design of similar dampers.