Dynamic performance of cantilever composite mortar beams with electro-rheological fluid

The work presented in this paper bears on the feasibility and the operative technology of embedding electro-rehological (ER) fluids into cement mortar. We have made a cantilever mortar beam with controllable ER fluids filled in a central crack for the purpose of investigation on the evolutional rule of frequencies under different electric field strength by hammering test. The experimental results indicated that the influence of electric field strength upon the first frequency is more evident than that upon the second one, whereas that upon the third frequency is very little. In addition, the physical mechanism of the impact of the change of voltage on the frequency of smart beam structures embedded with ER fluids was discussed. This research sets up an experimental basis for the application of ER fluids in the domain of structural vibration control.