The dynamic performance of a shear thickening fluid viscous damper

Abstract

This paper presents a study of the rheological properties of shear thickening fluids (STF) and the performance of a viscous damper filled with an STF by performing a cyclic loading test. In the rheological test, the STF samples were prepared by blending nanoscale fumed silica powder with polypropylene glycol fluid in different weight fractions. Using a strain-controlled rheometer with a cone and plate tool, both steady and oscillatory state experiments were performed and the rheological properties of the STF were observed. Experimental results showed an abrupt increase in complex viscosity beyond a critical dynamic shear strain rate . In this study, a hydraulic steel tube was filled with an STF to develop an innovative passive damper device. The STF-filled damper performance test showed that the area and shape of hysteresis loops can vary with different loading conditions. The analytical models studied and a numerical approach showed that STF-filled dampers are potentially useful in practical engineering applications.

Keywords:

• viscous damper
• shear thinning
• shear thickening
• hysteresis loop

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the experimental support by the Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University.