Experimental Performance of Dual Acting Magnetorheological Elastomer Damper

This paper investigates the experimental performance of a dual-acting magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) damper to reduce the vertical unwanted motion of passenger vehicles. MRE dampers are known to have unique properties of magnetorheological elastomers, which exhibit tunable stiffness and damping characteristics under the influence of a magnetic field. By focusing on the dual-acting mechanism, this study aims to assess the damper’s efficiency, response time and adaptability in various road conditions. The experimental test has been performed using a suspension test rig where the dual-acting MRE damper is installed in parallel arrangement with the existing spring and damper components. From the experimental results, it can be seen that the proposed dual-acting MRE damper managed to reject the unwanted vertical motion up to 50% for extension stage and 35% during compression stage against the passive system. These findings demonstrate the potential of the dual-acting MRE damper to enhance vehicle comfort and stability under dynamic conditions.