Numerical evaluation of hydrodynamic damping due to the Upper Mounted Baffles in real scale tanks

In this study, the hydrodynamic damping effects of Upper Mounted Baffles (UMB) used in the real scale liquid tanks are numerically investigated. In this regard, the paper follows three main purposes. First, the accuracy of the analytical model developed by the author is examined for full scale applications. In this regard, the tanks equipped by UMB with various dimensions and locations are numerically analyzed in free vibration mode. Then, the numerical results are compared with an analytical solution results, and the validity of the analytical formulation for using in real applications is discussed. Second, the seismic efficiency of UMB is considered, and the reduction of the sloshing wave height due to the presence of the UMB is examined under several earthquake excitations. Finally, a seismic design procedure is proposed to evaluate the effect of UMB on the suppression of sloshing in a liquid tank, and its predictions are compared with the results of numerical analysis.