I have a question regarding Damper design.

Is it a purely black art, based on trial and error + experience or can dampers ( aka shock absorbers ) be simulated ( hence designed ) with a CFD tool?

Recently, a coworker joined my company. He has designed dampers. He basically said that CFD was garbage, and he just relied on empirical data + seat of the pants feel.

I personally feel that CFD can play a major role in the design of dampers ahd he's probably just had a bad experience with a pre-mature CFD tool that turned him off for good. Not to mention that he's an older engineer that distrusts CAE tools.

I realize that CFD analysis can be done without correlating to actual test data, but it's certainly not "garbage".

Can anybody share their experience of using CFD to design dampers? (good or bad)

Can you describe how complicated is the damper he used to design. Do it involve gas and liquid or just liquid and preforated plates?

Well, he used to design shocks used for commercial buses.

I don't know how complicated those would be.

I imagine they would be just run of the mill hydraullic shock.