Study on liquid sloshing characteristics of a swaying rectangular tank with a rolling baffle

Abstract

This study addresses the sloshing characteristics of a liquid contained in a tank with a vertical baffle mounted at the bottom of the tank. Liquid sloshing characteristics are studied through an analytical solution procedure based on the linear velocity potential theory. The tank is forced to sway horizontally and periodically, while the baffle is fixed to the tank or rolling around a hinged point. The rectangular tank flow field is divided into a few sub-domains. The potentials are solved by a separate variable method, and the boundary conditions and matching requirements between adjacent sub-domains are used to determine the sole solution. The free surface elevations with no baffle or a low fixed baffle are compared with those in published data, and the correctness and reliability of the present method are verified. Then the baffle is forced to rotate around the bottom-mounted point. It is found that the baffle’s motion, including the magnitude and the phase together, can be adjusted to suppress the free surface elevation, and even the sloshing wave can be almost eliminated.