Controllable Vibration Isolator As an Application of Electro-Rheological Fluid

Abstract

A vibration isolator which possesses stiffness and damping controllability was constructed as an application of electro-rheological (ER) fluid. ER fluid is known as a functional fluid whose apparent viscosity can be varied by the applied electric field strength. The attractive characteristics of ER fluid are wide variation of its apparent viscosity and quick response time. In the present paper, a prototype vibration isolator was constructed and its performance was investigated. The experiments were conducted under the condition of constant vibration amplitude, in which a detailed investigation was made as to the efficiency of the ER damper for small-amplitude vibration. The conclusions obtained are as follows : ( 1 ) The stiffness as well as damping characteristic of the present type of vibration isolator can be varied by controlling the applied electric field strength. ( 2 ) The characteristics of the ER damper are dependent on the vibration amplitude, and the present vibration isolator is applicable to control of vibration of small amplitude.