Case Study on Response Time and Damping Force of an MR Damper through Considering Magnetic Circuit

This study presents a case analysis of a novel Magnetorheological (MR) damper designed to achieve the required damping force with response times in the millisecond (ms) range. The analysis focuses on identifying key factors that influence the MR damper’s response time, with particular emphasis on mitigating eddy currents, which are a primary cause of response delay. Through a comparative analysis of core materials, Soft Magnetic Composite (SMC) was selected as the optimal choice due to its high electrical resistivity, which helps minimize the formation of eddy currents, thereby improving response time. Additionally, a groove design was introduced into the inner core housing to extend the current path, increasing resistance and further suppressing eddy currents. After validating the groove configuration, the study examined response times in relation to core quantity and compared damping forces across different models. The simulation results confirmed that the groove design and core structure significantly enhance the MR damper’s response time, although they lead to a slight reduction in the damping force.