System identification (SI) for constructed structural systems has received a lot of attention with the continuous development of modern technologies. This thesis proposes a new nonlinear time series model for use in system identification (SI) of smart structures. The proposed model is implemented by the integration of a wavelet transform (WT) and nonlinear autoregressive moving average (NARMA) time series model. The approach demonstrates the efficient and accurate nonlinear SI of smart structures subjected to both ambient excitation and high impact load. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the wavelet-based NARMA modeling (WNARMA), smart structures equipped with magnetorheological (MR) dampers are investigated. The simulation results show that the computation of the WNARMA model is faster than that of the NARMA model without sacrificing the modeling accuracy. In addition, the WNARMA model is robust against noise in the data since it inherently has a denoising capacity.

Changes in the characteristics of the structure, such as damage, have not been considered in most of the active and semi-active control methods that have been used to control and optimize the response of civil engineering structures. In this dissertation, a direct adaptive control which can deal with the existence of measurement errors and changes in structural characteristics or load conditioning is used to control the performance of structures. A Simple Adaptive Control Method (SACM) is modified to control civil structures and improve their performance. The effectiveness of the SACM is verified by several numerical examples. The SACM is used to reduce the structural response such as drift and acceleration using active and semi-active devices, and its performance is compared with that of other control methods. Also, a probabilistic indirect adaptive control method is developed and its behavior is compared to the SACM using a simple numerical example. In addition to the simplicity of the SACM implementation, the results show that SACM is very effective to reduce the response of structures with linear and non-linear behavior in comparison with other control methods.

The increased prevalence of semi-active control systems is largely due to the emergence of cost effective commercially available controllable damper technology such as Magneto-Rheological (MR) devices. Unfortunately, MR dampers exhibit highly nonlinear behavior, thus presenting an often over-looked complexity to the control system designer. With regards to controlling dampers, the well-known Skyhook Damping control algorithm has enjoyed great success for both fully active and semi-active control problems. The Skyhook design strategy is to create a control force that emulates what a passive linear damper would create when connected to an inertial reference frame. Skyhook control is device independent since it generates a desired control force command output that must be produced by the control system. For simplicity, MR dampers are often assumed to have a linear relationship between the current input and the force output at a given relative velocity. Often this assumption is made implicitly and without knowledge of the underlying nonlinearity. This thesis shows that the overall performance of a semi-active Skyhook control system can be improved by explicitly inverting the nonlinear relationship between input current and output force. The proposed modification will work with any semi-active control algorithm, such as Skyhook, to insure that the controller performance is at least as good as the performance without the proposed modification. This technique is demonstrated through simulation on a quarter-vehicle system. Hysteretic damping effects are incorporated into the modification by application of simple open loop force compensation. Laboratory testing of the hysteretic inversion process was performed with the goal of emulating an ideal linear damper without hysteresis. These results are compared with the implicit assumption thus providing a basis for validating the benefits of the improved methodology. / Master of Science

Investigations on the design of controllable magnetorheological (MR) fluid devices have focused heavily on low velocity and low frequency applications. The extensive work in this area has led to a good understanding of MR fluid properties at low velocities and frequencies. However, the issues concerning MR fluid behavior in impact and shock applications are relatively unknown. To investigate MR fluid properties in this regime, MR dampers were subjected to impulsive loads. A drop-tower test facility was developed to simulate the impact events. The design includes a guided drop-mass released from variable heights to achieve different impact energies. Five drop-heights and two fundamental MR damper configurations were tested. The two configurations were a double-ended piston and a mono-tube with nitrogen accumulator. To separate the dynamics of the MR fluid from the dynamics of the current source, each damper received a constant supply current before the impact event. A total of five supply currents were investigated for each impact velocity. After reviewing the results, it was concluded that the effect of energizing the MR fluid only leads to "controllability" below a certain fluid velocity for the double-ended design. In other words, until the fluid velocity dropped below some threshold, the MR fluid behaved as if it was not energized, regardless of the strength of the magnetic field. Controllability was defined when greater supply currents yielded larger damping forces. For the mono-tube design, it was shown that the MR fluid was unable to travel through the gap fast enough during the initial impact. Consequently, the damper piston and accumulator piston traveled in unison until the accumulator bottomed out. After which, the fluid was forced through the gap. In conclusion, the two designs were compared and general recommendations on designing MR dampers for impulsive loading were made. Possible directions for future research were presented as well. / Master of Science

Magnetorheological dampers, or as they are more commonly called, MR dampers, are being developed for a wide variety of applications where controllable damping is desired. These applications include dampers for automobiles, heavy trucks, bicycles, prosthetic limbs, gun recoil systems, and possibly others. This thesis first introduces MR technology through a discussion of MR fluid and then by giving a broad overview of MR devices that are being developed. After giving the reader an understanding of MR technology and devices, MR damper basics are presented. This section includes a discussion of MR damper types, mathematical fundamentals, and an approach to magnetic circuit design. With the necessary background information covered, MR dampers for automotive use are then discussed. Specifically, designs for MR dampers that were built for a Mercedes ML-430 and for a Ford Expedition are presented along with their respective test results. These test results are presented and compared with the original equipment hydraulic dampers. After discussing automotive MR dampers, designs for gun recoil applications are presented. Specifically, two different MR damper designs are discussed along with live-fire test results for the first damper. Finally, two hybrid dampers that were based on a modified adjustable hydraulic damper are presented. These hybrid dampers, if pursued further, may develop into controllable replacements for large hydraulic dampers such as those installed on large vehicles and field Howitzers. In conclusion, recommendations are made for materials as well as for seal selection and other design aspects. / Master of Science

This diploma thesis deals with development of a new generation of magnetic circuits of fast magnetoreological (MR) dampers that will not use problematic ferrite materials. To ensure a short response time, eddy currents must be avoided. Using the Finite Element Method, 2 solutions were proposed - the use of soft magnetic composites with high electrical resistance and the cutting of grooves in metallic material. Subsequently, 2 magnetic circuits were produced - one from Sintex SMC prototyping material composite and one from 11SMn30 steel with 48 deep grooves 0,35 mm wide. Both were implemented into the MR damper and tested on a hydraulic pulsator. The results of the experiments were compared with 2 different MR dampers: one with 11SMn30 magnetic circuit without grooves and another with the Epcos N87 ferrite magnetic core. It has been found that both new circuits have ensured an equally short response of the damper force to the change of electric current like ferrite. At the same time, a much larger dynamic range was ensured. Compared to 11SMn30 without grooves, the new circuits provided approximately 7x faster response.

This diploma thesis deals with an engineering design of a fail-safe magnetorheological (MR) damper capable of semi-active control. The first part of the thesis is devoted to the current state of knowledge of fail-safe MR dampers and permanent magnets contained in these dampers. The next part contains an engineering design of a fail-safe MR damper, made using FEM simulations, and its subsequent testing in terms of magnetic and hydraulic properties. Finally, a design of a fail-safe MR damper with fast response time was made and simulated using verified FEM analysis. Fast response time is ensured by limiting the generation of eddy currents in the piston core by grooving.

The diploma thesis deals with testing of sports car suspension. The aim is the testing of fast magnetorheological damper in semiactive suspension that corresponds to quarter car model. The fast magnetorheological damper has a response time 2 ms. If the response time is short enough (order of units miliseconds) it is possible (based on earlier simulations) to achieve improvement of driving safety (better stability of force of tyre on roadway) and comfort (reduction of vibrations). The thesis proves this statement with series of experiments.

A Magnetorheological damper is a commonly used component in semi-active suspensions that achieves a high force capacity and better performance than a passive system, without the added expense and power draw of a fully active system, all while maintaining failsafe performance. To fully exploit the capabilities of an MR Damper, a high fidelity controller is required that is simple and easy to implement, yet does not compromise the accuracy or precision needed in many high-performance applications. There is a growing need for this level of operation, and this proposed work addresses these requirements by creating an empirically derived invertible model that enables the development of more accurate command signals by capturing the effect of temperature on a MR Damper's performance capabilities. Furthermore, this solution is specifically tailored for real-time application and does not require force feedback. Thus it requires low computation power and minimizes end-user cost by eliminating the need for additional high cost sensors such as load cells. A notable observation that resulted from the development of this proposed model was the difference in behavior between on and off states. Additionally a unique behavior was recognized with respect to the transition between high speed and low speed damping. For validation, the proposed model was compared against experimental data as well as an industry standard Spencer model; it produced excellent results in both cases with minimal error. / Master of Science

This master's thesis deals with an engineering design of an external reservoir for hydraulic shock absorbers with combined filling of oil and magnetorheological fluid. The first part describes existing designes of magnetorheological shock absorbers and characteristics of magnetorheological fluid. Next part describes a design of an experimental external reservoir and a test of its functionality on a prototype. This is followed by an optimalized engineering design of the experimental external reservoir.