Magnetorheological damper parameter identification and its application in semi-active control of power equipment

In recent years, magnetorheological dampers (MRD) have played a significant role in vibration control in various fields such as vehicles, military, building structures, etc. However, the mechanical model of MRD is very complex due to its hysteresis, which makes it difficult to identify the model’s parameters. In addition to experimental data, under the condition of no other prior knowledge, eight unknown parameters of the Bouc-Wen model are identified in this study based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. According to the trend of parameter variation with current, fitting research is conducted, and the variation law of parameters with current is summarized. Based on the identified parameters, the MRD’s output force is predicted under any current other than the experimental current. Subsequently, the application of MRD in semi-active control of power equipment is performed out, and proposed Simulink calculation programs for single-stage and two-stage vibration control systems are built. Then, a comparative study with passive and active control is conducted. In this paper, linear quadratic regulator (LQR) control is adopted for the active control, and the controller’s parameters are optimized based on the PSO algorithm. The results show that the adopted semi-active control can significantly reduce the transmitted force from power equipment to the foundation and can effectively mitigate the disturbance of power equipment to the environment. This study offers important guidance for the vibration control of MRD in industrial engineering.