A comprehensive investigation on liquid sloshing of rectangular water tank with vertical baffles

Abstract

Although numerical method is used to analyze the liquid sloshing-induced wave height and control force, it is worth noting that the effects of vertical baffle on liquid sloshing of rectangular water tanks have not been thoroughly explored. Further research in this domain would be invaluable for gaining a more profound understanding of liquid sloshing in such tanks. Therefore, the CFD method and finite volume model are employed in this paper, and the effects of vertical baffle on the liquid sloshing behaviors are comprehensively investigated, including wave height of free surface, horizontal control force, damping ratio of liquid sloshing, natural frequency, and free surface deformation. Then, the influences of excitation amplitude, water depth, number of baffles, baffle position, and baffle height are extensively explored. The accuracy of the modeling is confirmed through rigorous comparisons with existing experimental results. The number of baffles has a considerable influence on the behaviors of liquid sloshing. The effectiveness of the baffle in reducing liquid sloshing is closely tied to its position. Exceeding the baffle height beyond the water depth causes a transformation of the working mechanism and inherent properties of the rectangular water tank. The natural frequency is generally overestimated by linear potential flow theory.