Vibration damper is great shakes

An Edinburgh vibration specialist has developed a damping device which, it claims, has significant advantages over conventional variable dampers. Reactec says that that its magnetorheological (MR) damper adapts automatically to changes in the amplitude or frequency of unwanted vibrations, or to the loading of the equipment being isolated.

The compact damper (above) is based on MR fluids which solidify in the presence of a magnetic field, and then re-liquify when the field is removed.

Unlike hydraulic actuators, there are no electromechanical valves or small moving parts, so the damper operates almost silently. In addition, it will cope with frequencies above 20Hz which are too high for hydraulic devices.

When the MR technology is incorporated into a spring-damper system with suitable electronic control, it is said to reduce both resonant and forced frequencies. It is scalable from small to large applications and is suitable for new applications or for retrofitting to existing installations.

Reactec was formed in 2001 as a spin-off from Edinburgh University`s Centre for Materials Science and Engineering.