DOUBLE ADJUSTABLE SHOCK ABSORBERS USING ELECTRORHEOLOGICAL FLUID

Double adjustable shock absorbers allow for adjustment of their yield force and post-yield damping. To emulate the performance of a conventional double adjustable shock absorber, an electrorheological (ER) automotive shock absorber was designed and fabricated at the University of Maryland. An applied electric field between two tubular electrodes, located in the piston head, increases the force required for a given piston rod velocity. Two different shaped gaps, between the cylinder electrodes, meet the controllable performance requirements of a double adjustable shock. Concentric electrodes adjust the yield force of the shock absorber and eccentric cylinders allow for control of the post-yield damping. Force measurements from sinusoidal displacement cycles, recorded on a 5HP mechanical dynamometer, validate the performance of the concentric and eccentric cylinders for yield force and post-yield damping adjustments.