Sloshing induced damping across Froude numbers in a harmonically vertically excited system

Abstract An investigation was performed to measure sloshing motion and damping during harmonic forced vertical motion of a rectangular tank containing fluid, with a particular focus on the amplitude dependent transition between lateral sloshing and turbulent, vertical slamming. Qualitative and quantitative explanations are provided for the damping saturation point and dissipation effects, together with metrics to distinguish the different sloshing regimes, and a ballistic-harmonic analytical model is presented capable of reproducing the physical trends. Image processing tools were used to analyse experimental high-speed video footage, illustrating potential routes to increased damping in vertically oscillating structures, and correlating well with measured fluid forces and flow regimes.