Development of a New Flow-Mode Magneto-Rheological Damper Featuring Tooth-Shaped Duct

This article focuses on a novel configuration of flow-mode magneto-rheological fluid (MRF) based damper (MRD). The proposed MRD replaces the conventional annular MRF duct with a tooth-shaped one to lengthen the effective MRF segments, thereby improving the overall damping performance. Following an introductive part, the new MRD configuration is described. A design optimization procedure is then conducted to minimize the off-state force with constraints of desired maximum damping force and damper size. The optimal solutions are presented with discussions and compared with those of conventional MRDs. The advantages of the new MRD are subsequently addressed and its quasi-static behavior is predicted for various input excitations.