This research undertakes the task of static and dynamic characterization for a squeeze mode Magneto-Rheological (MR) Fluid-Elastic mount. MR fluid's variable viscosity rate is advantageously used to develop a mount capable of mitigating input vibrations of varying magnitudes and frequencies depending on electromagnetic flux. Various mechanical components are synthesized into a dynamic testing rig in order to extract vibrational characteristics of the mount and to compare it with existing mount technologies. This project focuses on a mount design that was proposed and improved upon by previous researchers at the Center for Vehicle Systems and Safety (CVeSS). Using a previously designed electromagnet and test rig, the MR mounts are characterized using a quasi-static test. From this test we extract the stiffness and damping characteristics of the MR mount. A set of upper and lower limit baseline mounts made with rubber and steel inserts are also tested simultaneously with the MR mount. Their isolation improvements are compared with conventional passive mounts. After acquiring the stiffness and damping characteristics of the mount, a model is used to simulate a response to input vibrations in the frequency domain. A dynamic test is run on both the baseline testers as well as the MR mount. Having the frequency-magnitude response allows us to determine a usable resonance range and magnitude of vibration mitigation. The results of this study indicate that the mounts tested here are an effective means of suppressing start-up vibrations within mechanical systems and show promise for further development and application. Future studies of these systems can include tests of MR metal-elastic mount designs for durability as well as parametric studies based on MR fluid type and other factors. / Master of Science

This study of adaptable vibration isolating mounts sets out to capture the uniqueness of magnetorheological (MR) fluid's variable viscosity rate, and to physically alter the damping and stiffness when used inside an elastomeric mount. Apparent variable viscosity or rheology of the MR fluid has dependency on the application of a magnetic field. Therefore, this study also intends to look at the design of a compact magnetic field generator which magnetizes the MR fluid to activate different stiffness and damping levels within the isolator to create an adaptable and tunable feature. To achieve this adaptable isolator mount, a mold will be fabricated to construct the mounts. A process will then be devised to manufacture the mounts and place MR fluid inside the mount for later compatibility with the magnetic field generator. This process will then produce an MR fluid-elastic mount. Additionally for comparative purposes, passive mounts will be manufactured with a soft rubber casing and an assortment of metal and non-metal inserts. Next, the design of the magnetic field generator will be modeled using FEA magnetic software and then constructed. Stiffness or force/displacement measurements will then be analyzed from testing the isolator mount and magnetic field generator on a state-of-the-art vibration dynamometer. To vary the magnetic flux through the mount, an electro-magnet is used. To analyze the results, a frequency method of the stiffness will be used to show the isolators adaptation to various increments of magnetic flux over the sinusoidal input displacement frequencies. This frequency response of the stiffness will then be converted into a modeling technique to capture the essence of the dynamics from activating the MR fluid within the isolator mount. With this methodology for studying the adaptability of an MR fluid-elastic mount, the stiffness increases are dependent on the level of magnetic field intensity provided from the supplied electro-magnet. When the electro-magnet current supply is increased from 0.0 to 2.0 Amps, the mount stiffness magnitude increase is 78% in one of the MR fluid-elastic mounts. Through comparison, this MR fluid-elastic mount at off-state with zero magnetic field is similar to a mount made of solid rubber with a hardness of 30 Shore A. With 2 Amps of current, however, the MR fluid-elastic mount has a higher stiffness magnitude than a rubber mount and resembles a rubber casing with a steel insert. Moreover, when the current in the electro-magnet is increased from 0.0 to 2.0 Amps the equivalent damping coefficient in a MR fluid-elastic mount increases over 500% of the value at 0 Amps at low frequency. Through damping comparisons, the MR fluid-elastic mount with no current is similar to that of a mount made of solid rubber with a hardness of 30 Shore A. At full current in the electromagnet, however, the damping in the MR fluid-elastic mount is greater than any of the comparative mounts in this study. Therefore, the results show that the MR fluid-elastic mount can provide a wide range of stiffness and damping variation for real-time embedded applications. Since many aerospace and automotive applications use passive isolators as engine mounts in secondary suspensions to reduce transmitted forces at cruise speed, the MR fluid-elastic mount could be substituted to reduce transmitted forces over a wider range of speeds. Additionally, this compact MR fluid-elastic mount system could be easily adapted to many packaging constraints in those applications. / Master of Science