Title: Lateral sloshing in partially filled elliptical tanker trucks using a trammel pendulum

Authors: M.I. Salem, V.H. Mucino, E. Saunders, M. Gautam, A. Lozano-Guzman

Addresses: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA. ' Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA. ' Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA. ' Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA. ' Council for Science and Technology of Queretaro, Queretaro, Mexico 76000

Abstract: Fluid sloshing in partially filled tanker trucks is the problem herein being addressed. In these vehicles, lateral fluid sloshing during turning and sudden lane change manoeuvres is the main cause for low rollover threshold. Fluid models and equivalent mechanical spring-bob and pendulums models have been used to simulate the lateral fluid sloshing in various tank shapes. A novel idea of an elliptical trammel pendulum for elliptical tank geometries is proposed. The bases of selecting the parameters of this pendulum such as pendulum mass, length of arms, and location of fixed mass are derived and verified using a finite element approach.

Keywords: tanker trucks; lateral sloshing; partially filled tankers; rollover; trammel pendulum; heavy vehicles; fluid sloshing; lane change manoeuvres; finite element method; FEM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHVS.2009.023861

International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 2009 Vol.16 No.1/2, pp.207 - 224

Published online: 17 Mar 2009 *

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