Abstract
The sloshing in the buoyancy tank of an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) has a larger impact on the system motion stability than that in the traditional liquid sloshing structures. This paper presents a numerical model for a buoyancy tank with the vertical baffle used in an UUV. The effect of the vertical baffle with different hole profiles on the sloshing characteristics in the buoyancy tank is discussed. A weighted anti-sloshing number (ASW) is introduced to evaluate the comprehensive anti-sloshing performance. The results indicate that the holes with different profiles in the vertical baffle can effectively ensure the tank connectivity. Thus, it can positively affect the operational stability of the UUV. The vertical baffle with penetrating holes effectively suppresses wave height, while non-penetrating holes on the vertical baffle can suppress the pressure double peaks in pressure. Furthermore, a penetrating central hole and a non-penetrating edge hole in the vertical baffle have a better anti-sloshing performance. This study can give some guidance for the anti-sloshing structure design for the UUVs.
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