Frequency response of sloshing in an annular cylindrical tank subjected to pitching excitation

Abstract Frequency responses of stable planar and rotary motions in a partially filled annular cylindrical tank, subjected to a pitching excitation at a frequency in the neighborhood of the lowest resonant frequency, are investigated. The nonlinearity of the liquid surface oscillation and the nonlinear coupling between the dominant modes and other modes (e.g., an axisymmetric mode) are considered in the response analysis of the sloshing motion. The basic equations of the liquid motion are derived by using the variational principle and the nonlinear equations of motion of the liquid surface displacement are formulated. The characteristics of the liquid motion in an annular cylindrical tank are discussed. The equations governing the amplitude of the stable planar and rotary liquid motions are derived and the stability of each motion is analyzed. An experiment was carried out using a model tank. It is shown that the nonlinear characteristic of the liquid motion in an annular cylindrical tank is more complicated than that in a circular cylindrical tank. Furthermore, it is shown that the nonlinear analysis is important for estimating the sloshing responses.