Shock isolation systems using magnetorheological dampers

This study addresses the feasibility and applicability of a semiactive magnetorheological (MR) shock isolation system to replace a conventional passive shock isolation system for commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment. To this end, an analysis of a shock isolation system with an MR damper was theoretically developed. To improve shock mitigation performance, semiactive control strategies such as skyhook and sliding mode control were incorporated into our analysis. Controlled responses of the semiactive MR shock isolation system were simulated and compared with those of a conventional passive shock isolation system for two different representative shock loads for COTS equipment.