A hybrid magnetorheological elastomer-fluid (MRE-F) isolation mount: development and experimental validation

With the aim of improving micro-vibration isolation, a hybrid magnetorheological elastomer-fluid (MRE-F) mount with variable stiffness and damping is presented. The proposed mechanism combines a magnetorheological elastomer stiffness unit with a magnetorheological fluid damping unit in a parallel connection. On the basis of a structural design and magnetic circuit analysis, the performance of this prototype was investigated experimentally using an MTS machine under multi-operating conditions. The field-controlled capacities, including resultant stiffness, equivalent damping, as well as the amplitude and frequency dependence were validated based on the experimental data. This work demonstrates the feasibility of applying this hybrid MRE-F mount to isolation systems with a small displacement.