Dynamic performance of shear-thickening fluid damper under long-term cyclic loads

Abstract

An experimental study on the effects of loading cycles on the performance of STF dampers (STFDs) are presented. The rheological properties of a STF sample are investigated under both ascending and descending loads. A smart damper is then developed and manufactured by employing the STF sample. Two series of cyclic tests were conducted to investigate the behaviour of the STFD under various sinusoidal loading conditions with a constant amplitude of 20 mm. Eight different loading frequencies (0.01, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 Hz) were imposed to research on the effect of frequency. Three different loading frequencies (1, 2 and 3 Hz) were applied to the STFD under a constant amplitude (20 mm) with long-term loading (200 cycles). The energy dissipation and dynamic properties of STFD were investigated by analysing the force-displacement and force-velocity curves. The STF damping force is found to decay exponentially as the loading cycles increase. An equation is proposed for the description of STFD force at different loading cycles and frequencies.