Semi-active control of a vehicle suspension using magneto-rheological damper

A semi-active magneto-rheological (MR) damper was experimentally investigated and compared to an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) damper for a passenger vehicle, by using a quarter car models. A full-scale two-degree-of-freedom quarter car experimental set-up was constructed to study the vehicle suspension. On-off skyhook controller and Fuzzy-Lyapunov skyhook controller (FLSC) were employed to control the input current for MR damper so as to achieve the desired damping force. Tests were done to evaluate the ability of MR damper for controlling vehicle vibration. Test results show that the semi-active MR vehicle suspension vibration control system is feasible. In comparison with OEM damper, on-off and FLSC controlled MR dampers can effectively reduce the acceleration of vehicle sprung mass by about 15% and 24%, respectively.