Experimental and Numerical Characterization of Violent Sloshing Flows Using a Single Degree of Freedom Approach

In this work, the most fundamental aspects of an aeronautical sloshing problem have been studied using an alternative and simplified model. This model consists of a single degree of freedom version of the original problem which keeps the essence of the fluid structure interaction and also the most relevant physical aspects of the industrial case. Two independent methodologies have been used: first an experimental rig has been designed to measure and visualize different magnitudes of the problem and also a smoothed particle hydrodynamics formulation has been adapted to obtain a local representation of the flow interaction. Two very different fluids in terms of viscosity have been tested, and the differences in terms of the characteristics of the sloshing regimes, free surface fragmentation and relative kinetic energy have been described and compared. Apart from the comparison of the results obtained by both methodologies in terms of tank acceleration, sloshing forces and free surface evolution, a deep study of the sloshing force has been performed. This study focuses on a deeper understanding of the different aspects that constitute the sloshing force, such as its synchronization with the tank movement, the relation to the movement of the liquid’s center of mass and the physical projection of the force on the pressure and viscous parts. Additionally, a reconstruction of the sloshing force as a sum of the pressure signal recorded by a finite number of pressure sensors has been also performed