Examination of a Magnetorheological Damper Control System with Vibration Energy Harvesting

The study deals with the experimental examination of a magnetorheological (MR) damper control system with vibration energy harvesting using a specially engineered electronic unit (EU). Unlike a typical MR damper control system, which requires an external energy source, the developed system is powered exclusively by energy extracted from a vibrating structure (mechanical system with one-degree-of freedom) and processed through the EU. The work describes the structure and functions of the EU, presents the test rig and the control algorithm implementation, and discusses the test results of the control system under harmonic kinematic excitations of low frequency range.