Slosh-induced hydrodynamic force in a water tank with multiple baffles

This study uses laboratory experiments and a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model to investigate the sloshing phenomenon in a rectangular water tank with multiple bottom-mounted baffles. The kinematic motion of the water surface was solved by the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method. The simulation results were verified by the measured wave heights in a water tank installed on a shaking table. The numerical model was employed to systematically determine the effects of the spacing and height of the baffles on the sloshing phenomenon. The simulation results indicate that the natural frequency of the tank was altered by the multiple baffles and was related to the effective water depth above the baffles. The diminishing effect of multiple baffles on the hydrodynamic force is better than that of a single baffle. In addition, the sloshing force on the sidewalls of the tank can be characterized by the excitation amplitude, frequency, and water depth. While the sloshing height and hydrodynamic force decrease as the baffle number or baffle height increase, the effect of baffles on the sloshing lessens when the relative baffle height hb/hw ≥ 0.75.