Evaluation of vibration and shock attenuation performance of a suspension seat with a semi-active magnetorheological fluid damper

The potential benefits of a semi-active magnetorheological (MR) damper in reducing the incidence and severity of end-stop impacts of a low natural frequency suspension seat are investigated. The MR damper considered is a commercially developed product, referred to as "Motion Master semi-active damping system" and manufactured by Lord Corporation. The end-stop impact and vibration attenuation performance of a seat equipped with such a damper are evaluated and compared with those of the same seat incorporating a conventional damper. The evaluation is performed on a servo-hydraulic vibration exciter by subjecting the seat-damper combinations to a transient excitation with dominant frequency close to that of the seat and continuous random excitation class EM1 applicable to earth-moving machinery, and a more severe excitation realized by amplifying the EM1 excitation by 150%, Tests are performed for medium and firm settings of the MR damper and for seat height positions corresponding to mid-ride and +/-2.54 and +/-5.08 cm relative to mid-ride. The results indicate that significantly higher levels of transient excitation are necessary to induce end-stop impacts for the seat equipped with the MR damper, particularly when set for firm damping, the difference with the conventional damper being more pronounced for seat positions closer to the end-stops. Under the EM1 excitation, the results indicate that under conditions which would otherwise favour the occurrence of end-stop impacts for a seat equipped with a conventional damper, the use of the MR damper can result in considerably less severe impacts and correspondingly lower vibration exposure levels, particularly when positioned closer to its compression or rebound limit stop. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.