Abstract
Magnetorheological (MR) dampers are new semi-active control devices in which the damping forces are controlled by magnetic field. In this study, the performance of a semi-active control system based on newly developed MR fluid damper is researched. A simple parallel plate model is used to investigate the MR damper's behavior. The comparison between the analytical and experimental results verifies the theoretical analysis. A Three-Degree-of-Freedom (3DOF) lumped-parameter model is introduced to represent a model-scale civil structure installed with the damper. Semi-active control method such as Continuous Sliding Mode (CSM) controller is simulated. Excellent results are obtained when this strategy is applied. The results demonstrate that the MR damper has the potential for improving the seismic behavior of civil structures.