An analytical solution for free liquid sloshing in a finite-length horizontal cylindrical container filled to an arbitrary depth

A general series-type theoretical formulation based on the linearized potential theory, the method of separation of variables, and the translational addition theorem for cylindrical Bessel functions is developed to study three-dimensional natural sloshing in a partially filled horizontally-mounted circular cylindrical tank of finite span. Assuming time-harmonic variations, the potential solutions associated with the Symmetric/Antisymmetric (S/A) modes of free liquid surface oscillations are first analytically expanded as series of bounded spatial functions with unknown modal coefficients. The impenetrability conditions of the rigid end-plates along with the free surface dynamic/kinematic boundary condition are then imposed. The zero-normal-velocity requirement of the lateral tank boundary is subsequently applied by innovative use of Graf's translational addition theorem for modified cylindrical Bessel functions. After truncation, four independent sets of homogeneous algebraic equations are obtained that are then numerically worked out for the natural sloshing eigen-frequencies and free surface oscillation mode shapes. Extensive numerical data include the first thirty six longitudinal/transverse Antisymmetric/Symmetric (AA, SA, AS, SS) dimensionless sloshing frequencies, for a wide range of liquid fill depths and container span to radius ratios. Also, the influence of fill depth on the free surface oscillation mode shapes is addressed through selected 2D images. Comprehensive numerical simulations illustrate the strong effects of container length and liquid fill depth on the calculated sloshing frequencies. It is revealed that the frequency branches with the same transverse mode number form a cluster that progressively merge together amid the tank fill-depth limits as the tank span ratio increases. On the other hand, when the tank length substantially decreases, the number of “frequency cross-overs” between various frequency clusters at certain liquid fill depths considerably increases. Moreover, primary advantages of proposed methodology in comparison to other approximate/numerical methods are explicitly pointed out, convergence of solution is tested, and accuracy/reliability of the results is demonstrated by comparisons with available data.