Using Electro-Rheological Fluids in Shock Absorbers

In this article, the properties and applications of electro-rheological fluids in shock absorbers are systematically summarized. First, the rheological properties of ER fluids are briefly reviewed and mainly represented by Bingham-plastic model. Then, different characterization methods for their flow properties, such as yield stress, post-yield viscosity and response time, are described, showing that the capillary rheometer is more suitable for high strain-rate. Further, typical designs and the corresponding characteristics of the ER fluid shock absorbers in three different working modes, i.e., flow mode, shear mode and squeeze flow mode, are illustrated with the focus on the impact force and controllability index. Finally, some issues for the real applications are discussed, such as the modeling of dynamic response, controllability, durability and so on.