Electromagnetic energy regenerative vibration damping

This thesis documents a PhD level research program, undertaken at the Industrial Institute Swinburne, Swinburne University of Technology between the years of 1997 and 2000. The research program investigated electromagnetic energy regenerative vibration damping; the process of recovering energy from damped, vibrating systems. More specifically, the main research objective was to determine the performance of regenerative damping for the application of vehicle suspension systems. This question emerged due to the need for continuous improvement of vehicle efficiency and the potential benefits possible from the development of regenerative vehicle suspension. It was noted, at the outset of this research, that previous authors had undertaken research on particular aspects of regenerative damping systems. However in this research, the objective was to undertake a broader investigation which would serve to provide a deeper understanding of the key factors. The evaluation of regenerative vibration damping performance was achieved by developing a structured research methodology that began with analysing the overall requirements of regenerative damping and, based on these requirements, investigated several important design aspects of the system. The specific design aspects included an investigation of electromagnetic machines for use as regenerative damping devices. This analysis concentrated on determining the most promising electromagnetic device construction based on its damping and regeneration properties. The investigation then proceeded to develop an 'impedance-matching' regenerative interface, in order to control the energy flows in the system. This form of device had not been previously developed for electromagnetic vibration damping, and provided a significant advantage in maximising energy regeneration while maintaining damping control. The results from this analysis, when combined with the issues of integrating such a system in vehicle suspension, were then used to estimate the overall performance of regenerative damping for vehicle suspension systems. The methodology and findings in this research program provided a number of contributing elements to the field, and provided an insight into the development of regenerative vehicle systems. The findings revealed that electromagnetic regenerative vibration damping may be feasible for applications such as electric vehicles in which energy efficiency is a primary concern, and may have other applications in similar vibrating systems.