Marsh, Adam Patrick (2009) Design of effective traveling wave sloshing absorbers for structural control. PhD thesis, Victoria University.

Abstract

A liquid sloshing absorber is a container partially filled with liquid. The primary objective of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of rigid liquid sloshing absorbers with shallow depths, in structural control applications. An effective means of using intentionally induced liquid sloshing to control low frequency, transient structural oscillations is presented, establishing the sloshing absorber as an effective structural control mechanism. Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) is used as a numerical modeling tool to predict fluid behaviour within the sloshing absorber, and the fluid-structure interaction forces produced when coupled to a structure. Close correspondence is seen between SPH predictions and experimental observations, identifying the method as a valuable tool for sloshing absorber design. SPH is used for the design optimisation of the conventionally used rectangular geometry based on energy dissipation performance. Appropriate selection of water depth and container width is found to optimise energy dissipation within this shape. Further improvement in control performance is achieved by modifying the shape of the rectangular sloshing absorber. Superior energy transfer and dissipation characteristics are produced. The novel concept of using the geometry of a hen’s egg as a sloshing absorber is then introduced. When uncooked, the hen’s egg possesses the properties of high mechanical damping. The possible employment of the hen’s egg as a sloshing absorber is investigated. Great potential is seen in this naturally occurring geometry.

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