A fully nonlinear model for sloshing in a rotating container

Abstract

In this paper a theoretical and experimental analysis of sloshing in 2D and 3D free-surface configurations is performed. In particular, the case of a tank rotating around a horizontal axis has been considered. The fluid is assumed to be incompressible and inviscid. A fully nonlinear mathematical model is defined by applying the variational method to the sloshing. The damping of gravity waves has been accounted by introducing a suitable dissipation function from which generalized dissipative forces are derived. A modal decomposition is then adopted for the unknowns and a dynamical system is derived to describe the evolution of the physical system. An experimental technique has been applied to select the leading modes, whose evolution characterizes the physical process, i.e. captures the most of the kinetic energy of the process. A very good agreement between experimental and numerical results confirms the validity of the methodological approach followed.