A novel velocity self-sensing magnetorheological damper: Design, fabricate, and experimental analysis

This article presents the development of a novel magnetorheological damper with velocity self-sensing capability. The velocity self-sensing mechanism, based on the optical tracking technology and numerical circuit technology, was adopted. The configuration and work principle of the velocity self-sensing magnetorheological damper were presented. The self-sensing circuits, built with optical mouse sensor and microcontrollers, were integrated into the hollow upper lid. The hollow upper lid provides a suitable place for the self-sensing circuits, can be installed and disassembled easily, and can be maintained efficiently. The velocity self-sensing magnetorheological damper prototype with 10 kN capacity was theoretically analyzed, fabricated, and investigated. Finally, the damping performance, self-sensing performance, and self-sensing control capability were tested and analyzed. The results indicated that self-sensing velocity unit has high accurate monitoring capability over a wide range of working conditions. The velocity self-sensing magnetorheological damper–based control system has sufficient ability to control the magnetorheological damper.