Vibration Control of a Vehicle using ER Damper

A semi-active suspension system for a vehicle using an Electrorheological Fluid damper has been studied. Apparent viscosity of ERF(Electrorheological Fluid) can be changed rapidly by applying electric field. The damping force of ER damper can be selectively controlled by employing electric field to the ER fluid domain. This paper deals with a two-degree-of-freedom suspension using the ER damper for a quarter car model. An intelligent control method using fuzzy control with genetic algorithm has been employed to control the damping force of the ER damper. The GA designs the optimal structure and performance of Fuzzy Net Controller having hybrid structure. The designed fuzzy net controller has been compared with the skyhook type controller for a quarter car model. The computer simulation results show that the semi-active suspension with ER damper has a good performance in the sense of ride quality with less vibration for ground vehicle.