Recently MR CDC damper has been applied to semi-active suspension control system gradually. Compared to former hydraulic CDC damper, it has rapid time response performance as well as simple internal structure and wide range of damping force. In order to develop control logic algorithm which enables to take maximum advantage of unique characteristics of MR CDC damper, it is inevitable to perform a thorough investigation into its nonlinear performance. In many previous researches, MR fluid model was either simply assumed as Bingham Plastic, or a phenomenological model based on experiment was established instead to predict damping performance of MR CDC damper. These experimental flow model which is not based on flow analysis but intentionally built to fit damping characteristics, may lead to totally different results in case of different configuration or structure of MR CDC damper. In this study, a generalized flow formula from mathematical flow model of MR fluid for annular orifice is derived to analyze and predict damping characteristics when current is excited at piston valve.
