Modeling and Analysis of Liquid Sloshing and Its Effects on Vehicle Stability

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Liquid sloshing has a significant impact on the dynamics and stability of highway, rail, marine, and space transportation systems. Nonetheless, because of the lack of computational algorithms and high fidelity models necessary to develop the knowledge and better understanding of the sloshing effect on vehicle dynamics and stability, transportation of hazardous materials has resulted in deadly, costly, and environmentally damaging accidents. Liquid can produce significant forces as the results of the interaction with containers and/or tank cars mounted on trucks, aircraft, railroad vehicles, missiles, rockets, offshore structures, and marine applications among many others. Existing simple liquid sloshing approaches commonly used are not designed for complex motion scenarios. While the use of computational algorithms is necessary to predict the response of detailed vehicle models, there is no in existence today an efficient and accurate continuum-based liquid sloshing approach to quantify the sloshing effect which can be significant during curve negotiations, rapid lane changes, and acceleration and braking scenarios. This award supports fundamental research to develop the first generation of liquid sloshing computational algorithms for modeling complex motion scenarios, developing safety guidelines, and accurate accident reconstructions. In particular, hazardous material accidents, which result in significant economic loss, environmental contamination, loss of lives, and property damage, can be avoided or significantly reduced through better understanding of the effect of sloshing on highway, rail, marine, and space transportation systems. This project will also lead to the development of new knowledge, approaches, and tools that can be used in the education of senior undergraduate and graduate students at University of Illinois at Chicago which is designated as a minority serving institution. The use of efficient continuum-based liquid sloshing models that capture the liquid distributed inertia and viscosity can overcome the limitations of existing liquid sloshing models. To this end, new liquid sloshing models will be developed and integrated with multibody system (MBS) algorithms that allow for developing and solving the differential/algebraic equations of vehicle models that include significant details. In order to achieve efficient integration of liquid sloshing/MBS algorithms and avoid the difficulties of integrating existing Eulerian-based fluid formulations with the Lagrangian-based MBS algorithms, new total-Lagrangian non-incremental liquid sloshing solution procedures will be introduced. Three different liquid sloshing approaches will be developed; the finite element (FE) absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) will be used to develop high fidelity MBS models, the floating frame of reference (FFR) formulation will be used to develop low-order MBS models, and the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method will be used to develop a different model to assess the effect of the liquid turbulence on vehicle dynamics. The Lagrangian approaches will allow for accurately capturing the effect of the fluid inertia in complex vehicle motion scenarios.