Determining the volumetric characteristics of a passive linear electromagnetic damper for vehicle applications.

Abstract

Previous research has shown that passive electromagnetic damping could be feasible for automotive applications, but there would be a severe weight penalty, particularly in light weight vehicles. With modern advances in permanent magnets the feasibility of passive electromagnetic dampers is re-examined. A model of a permanent magnet and coil system is developed and validated in small scale. This magnet model is used to model a dynamic damper system which is again tested. This dynamic model is then scaled up to a two degree of freedom system to determine the damping for a quarter car model. Two damper designs are created each of which would produce a damping coefficient of 1,600 Ns/m. The proposed dampers require more than three times the volume of the equivalent hydraulic dampers.