Modeling of a hydraulic damper with shear thinning fluid for damping mechanism analysis

This paper presents an analytical model for computing the force-displacement loops of the passive hydraulic dampers filled with shear thinning fluid when the damper is subjected to a sinusoidal excitation. The analytical model is developed on the basis of Navier-Stokes equations by considering the rheological behavior of silicone oil. The obtained computational results agree well with those by experimental measurements, and both of them suggests that viscous friction, fluid compressibility, and friction loss are the three major damping mechanisms of a hydraulic damper with shear thinning fluid. The damper in a low-frequency and large-amplitude vibration may have bigger viscous damping coefficient than that when it is in a high-frequency and small-amplitude vibration, which suggests that a hydraulic damper filled with shear thinning fluid can satisfy the requirement of the isolation system better.