Numerical simulation of the interaction between nonlinear sloshing flow and side-mounted perforated baffles

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of nonlinear strengths of sloshing on damping performance of side-mounted perforated baffles and discusses the influence of perforated baffles on resonance characteristics of sloshing flow. The model performance score is adopted to evaluate the nonlinear strength of water sloshing. A microscopic model and a volume-averaged macroscopic model are established to simulate the sloshing flow in a two-dimensional (2D) water tank with perforated baffles. In addition, a series of experimental tests are conducted to validate the numerical model. By analyzing the effects of nonlinear strength on damping performance of perforated baffles, a critical nonlinear strength of Reynolds number (Re) equal to 56 000 is obtained: For nonlinear strength smaller than critical nonlinear strength, the damping effect due to perforated baffles is mainly achieved by shifting the energy density to the excitation frequency; for nonlinear strength enhanced to the critical value, further increasing nonlinear strength shows slight influence on damping performance, and an additional increase in sloshing response occurred due to violent interaction between baffles and fluid flow. Importantly, the Reynolds number corresponding to the critical nonlinear strength is independent of the properties of perforated baffles, such as porosity and mounted form. Furthermore, the resonance effect of sloshing flow can be significantly weakened with an increasing blockage of perforated baffles, accompanying negative growth of maximum force amplitude on bulkhead.