An electrorheological damper with mixed flow liquid channel

Abstract

The present invention discloses an electrorheological damper with a mixed flow liquid flow channel, which is mainly composed of a pressure measuring joint, a lead joint, a cylinder, an electrode cylinder, a piston, an electrode disk, a nylon disk, a nylon sleeve and an end cap. Two sections of parallel annular liquid flow channels are formed between the cylinder, the piston and the electrode cylinder; and two sections of radial disc-type liquid flow channels are formed between the left and right electrode disks and the piston. The pressure measuring joint and the lead joint are both connected to the cylinder and are used to control the slippage of the piston assembly and the leakage of liquid during application. When power is supplied to the electrode parts, a uniform electric field will be generated in the four sections of effective liquid flow channels. By controlling the magnitude of the applied voltage, effective control of the damping force can be achieved. The present invention realizes a mixture of four sections of parallel annular and radial disc-type effective damping gaps; suppresses piston slippage and liquid leakage under a small stroke of the damper, has the advantages of small size, high output, simple structure, and a wide adjustable range, and is particularly suitable for vibration reduction and anti-seismic systems of machinery and building structures.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrorheological damper, in particular to an electrorheological damper with a mixed flow type liquid flow channel. Background Art

[0002] Electrorheological dampers (ERDs) are a new type of intelligent damping device using electrorheological fluid as its working medium. Compared to the widely used magnetorheological dampers, ERDs based on the electrorheological effect offer advantages such as low zero-field damping, light weight, low heat generation, and a wide adjustable range. Due to their adjustable damping, rapid response, and strong controllability, ERDs are widely used in vibration control applications such as aerospace, aviation, automotive suspension systems, and vibration reduction and seismic protection for buildings and bridges.

[0003] Traditional electrorheological fluid (ERF) dampers have an air cavity structure within the damping chamber, as shown by scholars Nguyen et al. in their paper "A new approach for dynamic modeling of an electrorheological damper using alumped parameter method [J]. Smart Materials and Structures, 2009, 1811:115020-115020. This creates a certain pressure, placing high demands on the seals within the device. Furthermore, most ERF dampers are designed and manufactured using a single operating mode, as shown by Sun Yi et al. from Shanghai University in their invention patent "A giant ERF damper in extrusion mode [P]. CN202110973363.3, 2022-05-27. Increasing the maximum output damping force of an ERF damper can only be achieved by increasing the number of plates, extending the length of the conductive piston, and reducing the thickness of the damping gap. However, this will increase the overall damper volume and mass, shorten the operating stroke, increase zero-field damping, and even induce electrical breakdown, shortening the product lifespan. Air bubbles often form in the damper cavity due to insufficient filling, which can easily cause piston slippage and make it difficult to meet the actual application requirements under different working conditions. Furthermore, as shown in the paper "Vibration performance analysis of a self-energized damper composed of electrorheological fluid and piezoelectric ceramics[J].Mechanics Based Design of Structures and Machines, 2023, 5110:5968-5982" by scholars Liu et al., the copper wires of the electrode barrel of most existing electrorheological dampers are usually led out from the end cap. This also places higher sealing requirements on the damper's insulation sleeve and end cap, and easily causes leakage of the electrorheological fluid.

[0004] Therefore, designing an ER damper with small size, large damping force, wide adjustable range, no piston slip, no liquid leakage, simple and reliable structure is the prerequisite for further broadening the industrial application of ER dampers. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the electrorheological damper described in the background art during operation and meet the requirements of engineering applications, the present invention proposes an electrorheological damper with a mixed flow liquid flow channel. The electrorheological damper is mainly composed of a pressure measuring joint, a lead joint, a cylinder body, an electrode cylinder, a piston, an electrode disk, a nylon disk, a nylon sleeve and an end cover. Two sections of parallel annular liquid flow channels are formed between the cylinder body, the piston and the electrode cylinder; two sections of radial disc-type liquid flow channels are formed between the left and right electrode disks and the piston. The pressure measuring joint and the lead joint are both connected to the cylinder body and are used to control the slippage of the piston assembly and the leakage of liquid during application. When power is supplied to the electrode parts, a uniformly distributed electric field will be generated in the four sections of effective liquid flow channels. Effective control of the damping force can be achieved by controlling the magnitude of the applied voltage. The present invention realizes a mixture of four sections of effective damping gaps of parallel annular type and radial disc type; suppresses piston slippage and liquid leakage under small stroke of the damper, has the advantages of small size, high output, simple structure, wide adjustable range, etc., and is particularly suitable for vibration reduction and anti-seismic systems of machinery and building structures.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention:

[0007] An electrorheological damper with a mixed flow liquid flow channel, comprising a left end cap 1, an O-ring 2, a cylinder body 3, a pressure measuring joint 4, an electrode cylinder 5, a nylon disk 6, an electrode disk 7, a nylon gasket 8, a nylon hexagon socket screw 9, a piston head-piston rod assembly 10, a U-shaped ring 11 for the shaft, a guide ring 12, a nylon sleeve 13, a right end cap 14, a rod end connector 15, a hexagonal nut 16, a rubber seal 17, a lead connector 18 and a copper wire 19; the hexagonal nut 16 is fixedly connected to the piston rod by a thread; the left end cap 1 and the right end cap 14 are respectively fixedly connected to the two ends of the cylinder body 3 by a thread; the inner end of the nylon sleeve 13 is provided with an inverted L-shaped annular groove, and the two ends of the electrode cylinder 5 are respectively provided with a hexagonal nut 16, a rubber seal 17, a lead connector 18 and a copper wire 19; The two ends of the cylinder body 3 are respectively overlapped in the inverted L-shaped annular grooves of the left and right nylon sleeves; the cylinder body 3 is sleeved on the outside of the electrode cylinder 5 and the nylon sleeve 13, and the two ends are aligned with the outer ends of the nylon sleeves 13 on the left and right sides; the two ends of the cylinder body 3 are sealed by the left end cover 1 and the right end cover 14 respectively; the pressure measuring joint 4 and the lead joint 18 are installed on the cylinder body 3; the piston head and the piston rod are fixedly connected by threads and axially positioned by the shaft shoulder to form a piston head-piston rod assembly 10; a nylon gasket 8 is provided between the electrode disk 7 and the piston head; the nylon disk 6, the electrode disk 7 and the nylon gasket 8 are fixedly connected to the piston head-piston rod assembly 10 by nylon socket screws 9 in turn; the left and right nylon disks 6, the left and right electrode disks 7, each The nylon gasket 8 and the piston head are combined to form a piston assembly; the copper wire of the electrode disk 7 is led out through the lead groove of the nylon disk 6 and the lead hole of the piston rod; the copper wire 19 of the electrode cylinder 5 is led out through the lead hole of the lead connector 18; the rod end connector 15 is fixedly connected to the piston rod by a thread; the piston rod passes through the left end cover 1, the left nylon sleeve 13, the right nylon sleeve 13 and the right end cover 14 in sequence, and the two ends extend out; the piston assembly is sleeved on the outside of the piston rod and placed in the middle position of the piston rod, and the piston rod drives the piston assembly to reciprocate and stretch; the electrode cylinder 5, the left nylon sleeve 13 and the piston assembly form a left chamber; the electrode cylinder 5, the right nylon sleeve 13 and the piston assembly The right chamber is formed between the inner circumference of the cylinder body 3 and the outer circumference of the electrode cylinder 5, forming the first valve-type annular damping gap through which the electrorheological fluid flows. The inner circumference of the electrode cylinder 5 and the outer circumference of the piston head in the piston head-piston rod assembly 10 form the second shear valve-type annular damping gap through which the electrorheological fluid flows. The two annular damping gaps operate in parallel. The third radial disc-type damping gap through which the electrorheological fluid flows is formed between the right end face of the left electrode disk 7 and the left end face of the piston head. The fourth radial disc-type damping gap through which the electrorheological fluid flows is formed between the left end face of the right electrode disk 7 and the right end face of the piston head. The thickness of these four effective damping gaps ranges from 0.5 mm to 2.0mm; the copper wire of the electrode disk 7 is welded to the electrode disk 7, and the copper wire 19 of the electrode tube 5 is fixedly connected to the electrode tube 5 by a thread, and the left and right electrode disks 7 and the electrode tube 5 are respectively connected to the positive pole of the power supply as the positive plate; the lead wires on the cylinder body 3 and the piston head-piston rod assembly 10 are grounded, and the cylinder body 3 and the piston head-piston rod assembly 10 are respectively used as the negative plate of the electrorheological damper; uniformly distributed regular through holes are set at both ends of the electrode tube 5 according to the equal flow principle, for the electrorheological fluid to flow in the left cavity, the right cavity, and the four-section effective damping gap; pressure measuring joint 4 is connected to the cylinder body 3 and aligned with either of the regular through holes on either end of the electrode barrel 5. The lead connector 18 is connected to the cylinder body 3, in contact with the right nylon sleeve 13, and sealed with a rubber seal 17. A shaft U-shaped ring 11 and a guide ring 12 are respectively installed between the left and right nylon sleeves 13 and the piston rod; an O-ring 2 is respectively installed between the left and right nylon sleeves 13 and the cylinder body 3. Annular grooves are opened on the left and right sides of the electrode barrel 5 and are cast with a rubber seal to prevent contact between the electrode barrel 5 and the cylinder body 3.

[0008] The cylinder body 3, the electrode cylinder 5, the electrode disk 7, and the piston head-piston rod assembly 10 are all made of conductive materials.

[0009] The nylon disc 6, the nylon gasket 8, the nylon hexagon socket screw 9, the nylon sleeve 13 and the rubber sealing ring 17 are all made of toughened nylon material.

[0010] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0011] 1. The electrorheological damper of the present invention eliminates the air cavity by optimizing the internal structure, thereby increasing the effective stroke of the damper. In addition, the inner cavity is pressure-free in the static state, which reduces the requirements for the use of sealing components.

[0012] 2. The electrorheological damper of the present invention realizes a mixture of four effective damping gaps of parallel annular type and radial disc type, and the damping gap can be further adjusted by changing the thickness of the nylon gasket; when the external dimensions remain unchanged, it has a larger controllable damping force under the action of a smaller external voltage, and the dynamic adjustment range of the damping force is wider, thereby achieving the effect of a small size and high output of the damper.

[0013] 3. The space between the electrode tube and the cylinder body, and between the piston assembly and the electrode tube of the electrorheological damper of the present invention is filled with electrorheological fluid. While eliminating the hard contact between the piston and the electrode tube or cylinder body of the traditional damper, it takes into account multiple working modes of the damper and also makes the electrode assembly better directional, preventing the fall of wear particles from contaminating the electrorheological fluid and inducing electrical breakdown.

[0014] 4. The present invention adopts an outer cylinder equipped with a pressure measuring joint structure. After the damper is assembled and filled with liquid, electrorheological fluid can be poured into the pressure measuring joint to increase the pressure in the cavity and offset the adverse effects caused by the presence of bubbles.

[0015] 5. The present invention adopts an outer tube with a lead connector structure, which can greatly reduce the sealing requirements of the damper's components such as the edge sleeve and end cover during the manufacturing and processing of the damper, and can also better prevent the electrorheological fluid from leaking when the damper is working. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of the piston assembly of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the damper electrode cylinder of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the damper cylinder of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a nylon sleeve of the present invention.

[0021] In the figure: 1-left end cover, 2-O-ring, 3-cylinder body, 4-pressure measuring joint, 5-electrode cylinder, 6-nylon disk, 7-electrode disk, 8-nylon gasket, 9-nylon hexagon socket screw, 10-piston head-piston rod assembly, 11-U-ring for shaft, 12-guide ring, 13-nylon sleeve, 14-right end cover, 15-rod end connector, 16-hexagonal nut, 17-rubber seal, 18-lead Connector, 19-copper wire, 20-valve type annular damping gap, 21-lead hole at piston rod, 22-lead groove, 23-shear valve type annular damping gap, 24-radial disc type damping gap, 25-copper wire at piston rod, 26-annular groove at electrode cylinder, 27-normal through hole, 28-threaded hole, 29-pressure measuring hole and liquid injection hole, 30-lead hole at cylinder body, 31-inverted L-shaped annular groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The specific implementation of the present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and technical solutions.

[0023] Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the present invention. It includes the left end cap 1, O-ring 2, cylinder body 3, pressure measuring joint 4, electrode cylinder 5, nylon disc 6, electrode disc 7, nylon washer 8, nylon hexagon socket screw 9, piston head-piston rod assembly 10, shaft U-ring 11, guide ring 12, nylon sleeve 13, right end cap 14, rod end connector 15, hexagonal nut 16, rubber seal 17, lead connector 18, and copper wire 19.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the piston assembly of the present invention. The nylon disc 6, electrode disc 7, nylon gasket 8 and piston head are combined to form the piston assembly; the piston head and piston rod are fixedly connected by threads and axially positioned by a shaft shoulder, thereby forming a piston head-piston rod assembly 10; a valve-type annular damping gap 20 is formed between the circumferential inner surface of the cylinder body 3 and the circumferential outer surface of the electrode cylinder 5, through which the electrorheological fluid flows; a shear valve-type annular damping gap 23 is formed between the circumferential inner surface of the electrode cylinder 5 and the circumferential outer surface of the piston head in the piston head-piston rod assembly 10, through which the electrorheological fluid flows. 0 and the shear valve annular damping gap 23 form two parallel liquid flow channels through which the electrorheological fluid flows; a first radial disc-shaped damping gap 24 through which the electrorheological fluid flows is formed between the right end surface of the left electrode disk and the left end surface of the piston head, and a second radial disc-shaped damping gap 24 through which the electrorheological fluid flows is formed between the left end surface of the right electrode disk and the right end surface of the piston head. The two radial disc damping gaps 24 form two radial disc-shaped liquid flow channels through which the electrorheological fluid flows; the copper wire of the electrode disk 7 is led out through the lead groove 22 of the nylon disk 6 and the lead hole 21 of the piston rod.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the damper electrode barrel of the present invention. Annular grooves 26 are formed on both sides of the electrode barrel 5, and are cast with a spacer adhesive to prevent contact between the barrel 5 and the cylinder 3. Peripheral holes 27 are evenly distributed along the left and right sides of the electrode barrel 5 based on the principle of constant flow. A threaded hole 28 is formed on the right side of the electrode barrel 5 for threaded connection of the copper conductor 19.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the damper cylinder of the present invention. A pressure measuring connector 4 is threaded onto the outside of the cylinder 3 and aligned with any regular through-hole in the electrode barrel 5. This through-hole serves both pressure measurement and fluid injection 29. The copper wire 19 of the electrode barrel 5 is led out through the lead hole 30 of the lead connector 18.

[0027] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the nylon sleeve of the present invention. An inverted L-shaped annular groove 31 is opened at the inner end of the nylon sleeve 13. The two ends of the electrode tube 5 are respectively overlapped in the inverted L-shaped annular grooves 31 of the left and right nylon sleeves, so that the electrode tube 5 and the nylon sleeve 13 are insulated from each other and a valve-type circular damping gap 20 with uniform and equal gap is formed.

[0028] The working principle of the present invention is as follows:

[0029] During operation, the electrorheological damper with mixed-flow channels of the present invention fills the left and right cavities and each channel with electrorheological fluid via a pressure measuring connector 4. The positive electrode of the power supply is connected simultaneously to the copper wires of the left and right electrode disks and the electrode barrel, with the left and right electrode disks 7 and the electrode barrel 5 acting as the positive electrode plates. The cylinder 3 and the piston head-piston rod assembly 10 are grounded as the negative electrode plates. When energized, a uniformly distributed electric field perpendicular to the flow direction is formed in each of the four parallel annular and radial disc-shaped effective damping channels. As the electrorheological fluid flows through each channel, it produces an electrorheological effect, increasing its yield stress. At this point, under external stimulation, the piston head-piston rod assembly 10 moves, pushing the electrorheological fluid through the damper's flow channels. The increased yield stress generates greater damping, hindering the reciprocating motion of the piston rod and achieving a damping and vibration reduction effect. By varying the voltage applied to the positive electrode plates, the electrorheological damping force of the electrorheological damper can be continuously varied to achieve the desired output damping force. By changing the thickness of the adjusting nylon gasket 8, the thickness of the radial disc-shaped damping channel can also be changed to achieve controllable damping gap.

[0030] During operation, if one of the negative plates fails, the electrorheological damper in this mixed-flow channel becomes a parallel combination of a valve-type electrorheological fluid damper and a shear-type hydraulic damper, or a parallel combination of a shear-type electrorheological fluid damper and a valve-type hydraulic damper. If the electrode plate fails or the input voltage is zero, the damper becomes a parallel combination of a valve-type hydraulic damper and a shear-type hydraulic damper, at which point the damping coefficient is minimized.

Claims

1. An electrorheological damper having a mixed flow liquid channel, characterized in that: The electrorheological damper comprises a left end cover (1), an O-shaped sealing ring (2), a cylinder (3), a pressure measuring joint (4), an electrode cylinder (5), a nylon disk (6), an electrode disk (7), a nylon gasket (8), a nylon hexagon socket screw (9), a piston head-piston rod assembly (10), a shaft U-shaped ring (11), a guide ring (12), a nylon sleeve (13), a right end cover (14), a rod end connector (15), a hexagonal nut (16), a rubber sealing ring (17) and a lead connector (18); The hexagonal nut (16) is fixedly connected to the piston rod through a thread; the left end cover (1) and the right end cover (14) are respectively fixedly connected to the two ends of the cylinder body (3) through a thread; the inner end of the nylon sleeve (13) is provided with an inverted L-shaped annular groove (31), and the two ends of the electrode cylinder (5) are respectively overlapped in the inverted L-shaped annular grooves of the left and right nylon sleeves; the cylinder body (3) is sleeved on the outside of the electrode cylinder (5) and the nylon sleeve (13), and the two ends are respectively aligned with the outer ends of the left and right nylon sleeves (13); the two ends of the cylinder body (3) are respectively connected through the left end cover ( 1) The right end cover (14) is sealed and connected; a pressure measuring joint (4) and a lead joint (18) are installed on the cylinder body (3); the piston head and the piston rod are fixedly connected by threads and axially positioned by a shaft shoulder to form a piston head-piston rod assembly (10); a nylon gasket (8) is provided between the electrode disk (7) and the piston head; the nylon disk (6), the electrode disk (7) and the nylon gasket (8) are fixedly connected to the piston head-piston rod assembly (10) in sequence by nylon hexagon socket screws (9); the lead of the electrode disk (7) passes through the nylon disk (6) The lead groove and the lead hole of the piston rod are led out; the wire of the electrode cylinder (5) is led out through the lead hole of the lead connector (18); the rod end connector (15) is fixedly connected to the piston rod by a thread; the piston rod passes through the left end cover (1), the left nylon sleeve (13), the right nylon sleeve (13) and the right end cover (14) in sequence, and the two ends extend out; the piston assembly is sleeved on the outside of the piston rod and placed in the middle position of the piston rod, and the piston rod drives the piston assembly to reciprocate and stretch; the electrode cylinder (5), the left nylon sleeve (13) and the piston assembly A left cavity is formed between the electrode cylinder (5), the right nylon sleeve (13) and the piston assembly; a right cavity is formed between the electrode disk (7); the wire of the electrode cylinder (5) is welded to the electrode disk (7), and the wire of the electrode cylinder (5) is fixedly connected to the electrode cylinder (5) by a thread, and the left and right electrode disks (7) and the electrode cylinder (5) are respectively connected to the positive electrode of the power supply as positive plates; wires are drawn out from the cylinder body (3) and the piston head-piston rod assembly (10) and are grounded, and the cylinder body (3) and the piston head-piston rod assembly (10) are respectively used as negative plates of the electrorheological damper; The four sections of effective damping gaps are specifically as follows: a first section of valve-type annular damping gap (20) through which electrorheological fluid flows is formed between the circumferential inner surface of the cylinder body (3) and the circumferential outer surface of the electrode cylinder (5); a second section of shear valve-type annular damping gap (23) through which electrorheological fluid flows is formed between the circumferential inner surface of the electrode cylinder (5) and the circumferential outer surface of the piston head in the piston head-piston rod assembly (10); the two sections of annular damping gaps work in parallel; a third section of radial disc-type damping gap (24) through which electrorheological fluid flows is formed between the right end face of the left electrode disk (7) and the left end face of the piston head; a fourth section of radial disc-type damping gap through which electrorheological fluid flows is formed between the left end face of the right electrode disk (7) and the right end face of the piston head; the thickness range of the four sections of effective damping gaps is 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

2. The electrorheological damper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The piston assembly is mainly composed of a left nylon disc (6) and a right nylon disc (7), a left electrode disc (7), a nylon gasket (8) and a piston head.

3. The electrorheological damper according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both ends of the electrode cylinder (5) are provided with uniformly distributed regular through holes according to the equal flow principle, which are used for the electrorheological fluid to flow in the left cavity, the right cavity and the four sections of effective damping gaps.

4. The electrorheological damper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure measuring joint (4) is connected to the cylinder body (3) and aligned with any one of the through holes (27) at both ends of the electrode cylinder (5); the lead joint (18) is connected to the cylinder body (3), contacts the nylon sleeve (13) on the right side, and is sealed with an isolating rubber sealing ring (17).

5. The electrorheological damper according to claim 1, characterized in that: A shaft U-shaped ring (11) and a guide ring (12) are respectively arranged between the left nylon sleeve (13), the right nylon sleeve (13) and the piston rod; an O-shaped sealing ring (2) is respectively arranged between the left nylon sleeve (13), the right nylon sleeve (13) and the cylinder body (3); annular grooves are opened on the left and right sides of the electrode cylinder (5), and an insulating glue is cast to prevent the electrode cylinder (5) from contacting the cylinder body (3).

6. The electrorheological damper according to claim 1, characterized in that The nylon disc (6), nylon gasket (8), nylon hexagon socket screw (9), nylon sleeve (13), and rubber sealing ring (17) are all made of toughened nylon material; The cylinder body (3), the electrode cylinder (5), the electrode disk (7), and the piston head-piston rod assembly (10) are all made of conductive materials.

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