Experimental and Numerical Investigation on MRE isolators

Magneto-Rheological Elastomers (MRE) are compounds constituted by an elastomeric (non-magnetic) matrix containing ferromagnetic particles; they are considered smart material as they react to the application of an external magnetic field with a variation of stiffness and damping. These compounds may be conveniently used to isolate mechanical vibrations; isolation systems based on MRE are more complex than passive ones as they require coils to generate a sufficiently intense magnetic field and a control system to adjust the stiffness but they allow a safer operation as it is possible to shift the natural frequency of the isolated system, far enough away from the forcing frequencies. This paper considers the possibility of developing an MRE isolator to mitigate the transmissibility on an equipment sensitive to accelerations. To this end it is presented an isolator configuration and the results of several experimental and numerical tests to characterize the MRE rheological properties and to evaluate the isolator feasibility.