Electrorheological liquid using vibration dampers

摘要

A vibration damping device including a metallic cylindrical inner housing forming a piston chamber; a piston axially movable within the inner housing and piston chamber and dividing the chamber into two separate fluid chambers; an outer housing spaced from and surrounding at least a portion of the metallic inner housing; annular fluid transfer duct device formed between the spaced inner and outer housings and surrounding the piston chamber providing fluid communication between the fluid chambers on opposite sides of the piston, the fluid chambers adapted to be filled with an electrorheological (ER) fluid. An electrode device is mounted on the outer housing and is spaced from the inner housing for applying an electric field across at least a portion of the duct device to increase the flow resistance of the ER fluid passing through it. A piston rod is connected at one end to the piston and extends beyond a first end of the inner housing with another end of the piston being adapted to be connected to a first support structure; and a connection device is mounted on a second end of the inner housing for connecting the second end of the inner housing to a second structure spaced from the first structure, whereby load on the damping device is supported by the inner housing and piston rod.