The effect of magneto-rheological fluid on vibration suppression capability of adaptive sandwich plates: Experimental and finite element analysis

This article presents an experimental and theoretical study of vibration analysis of a magneto-rheological fluid-based sandwich plate. Two sandwich plates consisting of polyethylene terephthalate face layers were fabricated with two different magneto-rheological fluids (MRF-132DG and MRF-122EG) as the core layer and silicon rubber spacer as the sealant. The dynamic responses of the cantilever sandwich plate were experimentally characterized. A finite element model based on the Classical Plate Theory was formulated to obtain governing equations of motion of the multi-layer magneto-rheological plate. The complex shear modulus of each magneto-rheological fluid in the pre-yield region was described by a phenomenological model as a function of the magnetic flux density and excitation frequency. The results clearly showed enhanced vibration suppression properties of the magneto-rheological sandwich plate over a broad frequency range through variations in both the stiffness and damping.