A novel magnetorheological elastomer composite structure for longitudinal vibration control of shaft system

Installing vibration reduction and isolation devices on the shafting is an important measure to reduce the problems of low-frequency vibration and sound radiation. Current vibration reduction and isolation devices suffer from issues such as excessive mass, narrow vibration reduction frequency band, and complex structures. This paper combines fiber-reinforced composite with magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) smart material to design and prepare a novel MRE composite structure that integrates functions such as lightweight and low broadband tunability. A series of experiments were conducted to examine the inherent vibration characteristics and vibration control properties of the structure. The results show that the structure has good frequency shift characteristics and can reduce vibration by an average of 8.6 dB in the frequency band of 91–148 Hz, with a maximum vibration reduction of 17.6 dB. Experimental results have demonstrated that the designed structure is effective in reducing the longitudinal vibration of the shafting system.