Study of an innovative shock absorber based on Permanent Magnets

The improvements in the electrical and magnetic properties of the materials and also the advances in the manufacturing of the permanent magnets create an increase in the application of these components for braking and damping purposes. Moreover, considering the demand for new solutions in terms of automotive shock absorber to replace the classical viscous fluid ones, the Eddy Current dampers increasingly attracts the interest of the automotive industry and the researches. This study aimed to explore some features and design possibilities associated with the linear configuration of the Eddy Current damper. The study was performed evaluating the influence of the main parameters of the system, the main available commercial materials for manufacturing, possible design procedures and a study of some possible improvements associated with the conductor. All the analysis were conducted considering a mathematical model frequently applied in the reference literature for the considered configuration and arrangement of the permanent magnets At the end, the study linked the final characteristics of the damper (Damping Coefficient, Weight, Size and Operational behavior) with the design parameters. Moreover, it was also connected the Performance Indicators (Specific Damping and Pole Efficiency) with the main parameters, what provided a strong tool to design the damper in an efficient way. It was also evaluated possible features to improve and adapt the characteristics of the damper (Variable Thickness, Double Conductor and Temperature control). Finally a conceptual model for the damper is proposed in order to exploit the main advantages of the eddy current technology and also overcome some limitations.