Electrorheological rotary pure-shear damping devices

An electrorheological damping device for reducing translational vibration between two bodies, comprising

• (a) a rotary electrorheological damper, said rotary electrorheological damper comprising a stator and a rotor, said stator and said rotor being coaxially arranged, said stator having a plurality of stator electrodes, said rotor having a plurality of rotor electrodes, a plurality of said stator electrodes and a plurality of said rotor electrodes facing each other alternatively within at least one fluid chamber, said fluid chamber being filled with an electrorheological fluid that varies its rheological properties when exposed to an electric field, said electrorheological fluid filling spaces between each pair of said stator electrode and said rotor electrode, whereby said rotary electrorheological damper being able to control damping torque that resists rotary motion between said stator and said rotor;
• (b) a transmission means for converting the translational vibration between said two bodies to the rotary motion between said stator and said rotor;
• and
• (c) a pneumatic spring, comprising a gas housing and means for changing the volume of said gas housing according to the translational motion between said two bodies, wherein said gas housing is rigidly connected to a translationally moving component of said transmission means and acts to transmit the pneumatic spring force, wherein said gas housing contains a volume of a lubricant that submerge said transmission means and said rotary electrorheological damper, whereby provide lubrication to said transmission means and protect said electrorheological fluid.