Numerical investigation of vertical and horizontal baffle effects on liquid sloshing in a rectangular tank using an improved incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics method

Liquid sloshing is a common phenomenon in transporting liquid tanks. Liquid waves lead to fluctuating forces on the tank wall. If the fluctuations are not predicted or controlled, they can lead to large forces and momentum. Baffles can control liquid sloshing fluctuations. One numerical method, widely used to model the liquid sloshing phenomena, is Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH). Because of its Lagrangian nature, SPH is suitable for simulating free surface flow. In the present study, a relatively accurate Incompressible SPH (ISPH) method is improved by kernel gradient correction tensors, particle shifting algorithms, turbulence viscosity calculations, and free surface particle detectors is applied for the free surface flow modeling. In comparison to the other SPH simulations and experimental data, the results show that the present algorithm is effective for simulating free surface problems. The present algorithm is applied to simulate liquid sloshing phenomena, while the aim of this study is the investigation of vertical and horizontal baffle effects on the control and damping of liquid sloshing. Results show that, baffle size has a major role in sloshing fluctuation damping for vertical baffles. For horizontal baffles, also including size, the baffle base position has a significant role in liquid sloshing fluctuation damping. When horizontal baffle is near the free surface, sloshing fluctuation-damping increases.