Lab · Experiments
Magnetorheological Damper
Running
Fluid is expensive. The effect is real and obvious by hand.
Materials / ActuationFluidMRF-132DG
Coil400 turns
Response~15 ms
StartedApr 2026
Progress35%
The question
Is a variable-stiffness damper practical to build at studio scale, or is it a lab curiosity?
Where it stands
The effect is unmistakable — energise the coil and the damper stiffens noticeably under hand pressure, with a response in the low tens of milliseconds. The obstacles are all practical: the fluid costs more than the rest of the assembly, and sealing it without contaminating the bench is genuinely difficult.
03Bench log
09 Apr 2026
First cylinder assembled. Effect confirmed by hand.
27 May 2026
Response time measured at roughly 15 ms coil-on to stiffness change.
18 Aug 2026
Second seal design. The first one leaked within a week.
04Next step
Next
Instrument it properly — force against coil current — instead of judging stiffness by feel.