Investigation on parallel-sensing properties of metal rubber under compression loading based on electrical resistance change

Metal rubber (MR) is widely employed in structural vibration control and impact mitigation. A macroscopic electromechanical model of MR is derived in this study to investigate its parallel-sensing capability along with the original mechanical properties. The mechanical and electrical behavior of MR are first investigated using uniaxial compression and cyclic loading tests. The observed correlations between electrical resistance and mechanical responses are then applied to develop a macroscale electromechanical model of MR and propose methods for the identification of MR resistance, force, and displacement. Finally, the feasibility of using the electromechanical model to realize the parallel-sensing of MR is verified and evaluated. The results indicate that the electrical resistance of MR decreases with increasing wire diameter and nominal density, but increases with specimen thickness. Moreover, specimens with higher nominal density exhibit a more extensive overlap in their electrical resistance–displacement curves during cyclic loading. The proposed electromechanical model exhibits high accuracy in electrical resistance identification and shows greater sensitivity and accuracy for force identification at small displacements than large displacements, with displacement identification accuracy decreasing slightly after loading/unloading inflection points. The proposed method for realizing the parallel-sensing of MR holistically demonstrated high resolution and accuracy under low-frequency vibrations, though sensitivity diminishes for high‑frequency, small‑amplitude vibrations.