Modelling of liquid sloshing in rectangular tanks with flow-dampening devices

For the purpose of damper application, a new mathematical model of liquid sloshing in rectangular tanks, which includes the effects of flow-dampening devices, is developed. The devices used here are for increasing the dissipation rate of sloshing energy, such that the sloshing can be utilized as an effective vibration absorbing mechanism. The theoretical study is focused on the first sloshing mode. It is found that the devices introduce non-linear damping to the sloshing mode and also reduce the modal frequency slightly by added mass effect. The findings are confirmed by free sloshing experiments. After closely checking the performance of various devices, a wire-mesh screen device is chosen for further investigation. Forced vibration responses, as well as free sloshing characteristics, are elaborately examined by shaking table experiments and theoretical analysis. Reasonable agreement is obtained, and the validity of the model is confirmed.