Abstract The vehicle suspension system plays a fundamental role in ensuring passenger safety and comfort. Among its main components is the shock absorber. Over the years, various methods have been developed to dynamically modify the response of this component. As a result, shock absorbers capable of altering their behavior by modifying the apparent viscosity of the working fluid—such as electrorheological and magnetorheological dampers—have been introduced. More recently, the use of shear thickening fluids (STFs) has also been proposed. These fluids represent a distinctive class of non-Newtonian fluids, characterized by an increase in viscosity over a specific range of shear rates. This unique rheological behavior enables the development of large-geometry shock absorbers for vehicle applications. Therefore, this article addresses two principal aspects related to the design of STF-based shock absorbers. First, a physical model is developed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. The STF flow curves, obtained experimentally, are implemented into the simulation through cubic spline interpolation, ensuring a smooth and continuous representation of the fluid’s rheological properties within the software environment. This model is then used to predict the damping forces generated by simple cylindrical geometries, allowing the identification of the most influential geometric parameters on damper performance. Second, a variable-geometry shock absorber is proposed, based on cylindrical configurations to enable a wider and more adaptable range of damping force outputs. Both the cylindrical and variable-geometry designs are experimentally validated through damper testing. Furthermore, the significant influence of temperature on damping behavior is also addressed. Results show good correlation between the simulations and experimental data.
Zamudio et al. (Thu,) studied this question.