Magnetorheological fluids ready for real-time motion control

J. David Carlson
Lord Corporation, Materials Division, Cary, North Carolina, USA

ABSTRACT: The past two years have witnessed a blossoming of the commercialization magnetorheological fluid technology. Magnetorheological fluids have now been embraced by a number of manufacturers for inclusion into a diverse spectrum of products. To illustrate the present state of magnetorheological fluid technology, this paper reviews five recent applications wherein the technology has been fully developed into commercial products. As such, these applications represent more than just a laboratory demonstration of basic functionality. Each of these applications fully embodies all of the necessary developments and refinements required to make these magnetorheological fluid devices long-lived in actual service in the field, amenable to mass production techniques, and available at a cost commensurate with the value perceived by the end user. 1 INTRODUCTION Starting in the mid 1990s, a number of investigators have explored the possibility of using semi-active vibration control devices in civil engineering structures to mitigate the effects of undesirable motions due to hazardous wind or seismic loads. Semi-active devices combine the best features of both passive and active control devices. Semi-active devices offer most of the adaptability of full active systems while retaining much of the simplicity, reliability and cost effectiveness of passive systems. Because of their high force capacity, low power requirement and overall mechanical simplicity, magnetorheological (MR) fluid dampers have been identified as a particularly attractive means of enabling semi-active control in buildings and bridges. Recent laboratory studies have shown that MR fluid dampers can be scaled to sizes appropriate for civil engineering applications. That MR fluids are suitable for achieving semiactive control beyond the laboratory has been demonstrated (Carlson et al. 1996, Mehri 2000, Conte 2000, Jones 2000). Beginning with the commercialization of MR fluid rotary brakes for use in aerobic exercise equipment in 1995 (Design News 1995), application of MR fluid technology in realworld systems has grown steadily. The past two years have witnessed a rapid expansion of MR fluid technology into commercial applications well beyond the development laboratory. MR fluid technology has been embraced by a number of manufacturers for inclusion into a diverse spectrum of products. To illustrate the present state of MR fluid technology, five recent applications wherein MR fluids have been fully developed into commercial products are reviewed. The MR fluid systems to be described include: real-time, semi-active vibration control system for heavy duty truck seating of which there are over 5000 systems presently in use (Design News 1995), adjustable MR fluid shock absorber for NASCAR racing automobiles (Carrera 1998), rotary MR brake that provides real-time forcefeedback in a steer-by-wire system for industrial forklifts (Newton 1999), rotary and linear MR dampers that are coupled with industrial pneumatic actuators to enable lowcost position and velocity control (Mehri 2000), and MR fluid damper used in an advanced prosthetic knee to enable real-time motion control such that gait automatically adapts to any condition (Jones 2000). These applications represent more than just a demonstration of basic MR fluid functionality. Each of these applications represents a fully field-proven MR device that embodies all of the necessary refinements required to make it reliable, robust and long-lived in actual service in real-world environments that are quite demanding. Historical concerns about sedimentation, abrasiveness and fluid durabil-

ity have been solved. These MR devices are also amenable to standard mass production techniques and are commercially available today at prices commensurate with the value perceived by the user. Certainly, much work remains before MR fluid based semi-active control systems could be accepted for protecting civil engineering structural systems against wind and seismic events. However, the proven success of MR fluids in other motion control applications indicates that the possibility of such systems is real. 2 SEMI-ACTIVE MR DAMPERS FOR SEATS In early 1998 a real-time, semi-active vibration control system became available for use in the seats of Class 8 (eighteen wheeler) trucks (Lord 1998). Manufacturers of premium large trucks such as Western Star and Freightliner offer the MR fluid based Motion Master system as a standard option. A complete semi-active vibration control system including MR fluid damper, sensor, microprocessor, current driver and ancillary cables as shown in Figure 1 is now offered as a retrofit kit to truck operators and is available to anyone over the www for under $300 (Conte 2000). Today, over 5000 MR fluid based, semi-active vibration control systems are in use in heavy-duty, over-the-highway trucks in the United States. These systems receive high praise from the drivers who experience them. They routinely deliver many hundreds of thousands of kilometers of service. Their robustness is illustrated by the fact that there have been no failures in the field.

Figure 2. MR fluid based controllable shock absorber for NASCAR racing automobiles.

3 MR FLUID SHOCKS FOR RACING CARS Late in 1998, MR fluid based, adjustable shock absorbers for oval and dirt track racing automobiles were introduced by Carrera (Anderson 1998). A MagneShock by Carrera is shown in Figure 2. Race-car operators are today able to purchase MagneShock cockpit controlled, primary suspension dampers for about $500. A set of four of these controllable MR fluid dampers eliminate the necessity of maintaining the usual stable of perhaps dozens of different passive hydraulic shock absorbers. Car operators no longer need to physically change shock absorbers to optimize their vehicle for the conditions of the track, weather or tire condition. Rather, they need only perform a few test laps while adjusting the cockpit controls for the MR fluid dampers. A single set of four MR shocks may replace dozens of passive hydraulic dampers. The driver can easily and quickly optimize the left-to-right and fore-to-aft damping in order to optimize car performance on the track. Improved track times by as much as 2 seconds per mile have been realized (Leroy 2000).

Figure 1. MR fluid based semi-active vibration control system for heavy-duty truck seats.

4 STEER-BY-WIRE This is an example of industrial haptics wherein a small MR fluid rotary brake is being used to provide real-time sensory feedback to the operator of an industrial forklift vehicle that is equipped with a steerby-wire system. The R14 vehicle, shown in Figure 3, is an all electric forklift introduced by Linde earlier this year (Marjoram 2000). It is intended for close maneuvering and manipulation in confined, clean-spaces such as food handling warehouses with large drivein freezers. There is no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the ground wheels. Steering is accomplished entirely by electrical control. Rotation of the steering wheel turns an optical encoder which supplies an electrical signal that is transmitted to the drive ground wheel and causes a motor to orient them in the desired direction. The steering wheel and the optical encoder are both mounted the shaft of a MR brake. The brake provides a variable amount of rotational resistance depending on the instantaneous vehicular motion and orientation of the ground wheels. Such tactile feedback to the operator is necessary to insure stable operation. The MR brake and magnetic rotary encoder are packaged into a common package as shown in Figure 4 and mount directly to the dashboard of the forklift.

Mounting studs

Driveshaft for steering wheel

MR brake

Hall effect rotary encoder

Figure 4. MR brake and rotary position encoder used in the steer-by-wire application.

MR fluid valve Pneumatic actuator

MR fluid damper

Figure 5. Linear pneumatic actuator coupled with MR fluid damper having an external bypass valve to enable precise position and velocity control.

5 INDUSTRIAL PNEUMATICS MR fluid rotary brakes and linear dampers are being used in conjunction with pneumatic actuators to enable open and closed-loop position and velocity control with a precision not normally available with pneumatic systems. MR technology is able to contribute significant added value to pneumatic actuators. The inclusion of a simple MR fluid device is able to add stiffness to an otherwise compliant system overcoming the inherent compressibility of air. Four different manufacturers have recently introduced pneumatic systems with an MR control option: Parker, phd , Tol-O-Matic and Turn-Act. Figures 5 and 6 show the Turn-Act and Parker embodiments for MR control of rotary position actuators.

Figure 3. MR brake provides real-time force-feedback to the operator in conjunction with steer-by-wire operation.

MR rotary brake Pneumatic rotary actuator

Position and speed sensor MR fluid damper Force and moment sensors Microprocessor

Battery

Figure 6. Rotary pneumatic actuator coupled with MR brake to enable precise position and velocity control.

6 ADVANCED PROSTHETICS Perhaps the most exciting of all of the new MR fluid developments is that of real-time controlled dampers for use in advanced prosthetic devices. The idea here is to use a small MR fluid damper to control, in real-time, the motion of a prosthetic knee. The benefit is a more natural gate that can automatically adapt to virtually any condition. The HIP or High Intelligence Prosthesis is an above the knee prosthesis that has been introduced by Biedermann Motech this year (Matthis 2000, Carlson 2000, Jones 2000). The basic elements of the system are shown schematically in Figure 7. A group of sensors determines the instantaneous state of the knee: knee angle, swing velocity, axial force and moment. A microprocessor-based controller determines the current needed to be applied to the MR fluid damper to allow for proper motion or locking of the artificial knee based on the instantaneous action being carried out by the user. Once calibrated to a specific user the system automatically adapts in real-time to the users walking speed, stairs or inclination. The HIP system allows the user to move without having to consciously control what is going on with the prosthesis. As shown in Figure 8, all of the electronics are integrated into the mechanical structure of the prosthetic knee along with the MR damper and battery pack. The entire system operates from a rechargeable battery that provides about two-days of operation between charges. The HIP system with a MR fluid damper provides superior gait control over a wider range of activity than does servo-motor controlled systems costing many times as much.
Figure 7. Above-knee prosthesis with real-time gait control provided by MR fluid damper.

Anglular Position & Rate Sensor

Controller

MotionMaster MR Fluid Damper

Batteries

Force and Moment Sensors

Figure 8. Details of the Prolite Smart Magnetix knee prosthesis.

7 SUMMARY Five MR fluid-based devices which exemplify the current state of magnetorheological fluid technology have been described. These new applications are fully developed products that have traversed the full course of product development and are today commercially products available to the consumer. All of the cited example applications are based on MR fluid. It is a commentary on the present state of controllable fluid technology that no comparable examples based on electrorheological fluid could be identified. REFERENCES
Anderson, R. 1998. Carrera MagneShock, Atlanta: Arre Industries. Carlson, J.D. 2000. 1st Int. Conf. on Advanced Prosthetics, Newport Beach: Flex Foot. Carlson, J.D. et al. 1996. Commercial Magneto-Rheological Fluid Devices. In W. A. Bullough (ed), Proc. 5th Int. Conf. on ER Fluids, MR Fluids and Assoc. Tech.: 20-28, Singapore: World Scientific. Conte, F.R. 2000. Lords Motion Master. Owner Operator, Jan/Feb 2000: 39-40. Design Engineering 1999. A Smoother Ride for Vehicle Seats. Design Engineering, Nov. 1999: 54-55. Design News 1995. Brake Cuts Exercise-Equipment Cost, Design News, vol. 50(25): 28. Jones, M. 2000. Lord Corp Brings New Life to Knee. The Cary News, Oct 28, 2000: 1B-4B. Leroy, D.A. 2000,Lord Corp., pers. comm. Lord Corp. 1998. Motion Master Ride Management System. pub no. PB8008a. Cary: Lord Corp. Matthis, W. 2000, Biedermann Motech Corp.., pers. comm. Mehri, D. 2000. Economical Actuator Provides Simple Precise Motion Control. Design News, vol. 55(20): 63-65. Newton, S. 1999, Lansing Linde Corp., pers. comm.