On the nonlinear performance of a tuned sloshing damper under small amplitude excitation

This paper explores the potential of a tuned sloshing damper (TSD) in the control of small amplitude vibrations, which is often important from serviceability considerations, through the use of a relatively small mass ratio of the damper liquid. To investigate the nonlinear behavior of the TSD, real-time hybrid testing is conducted in which a single rectangular tank containing water constitutes the prototype TSD. The structure is modeled as a multi-degree-of-freedom system. Two different base input motions, namely harmonic and synthetically generated broad-banded input, are considered. The sensitivity of the TSD performance to tuning ratio vis-a-vis low mass ratio is studied. The experimental results are compared with those obtained from a numerical study carried out using the shallow water wave theory-based nonlinear, semi-empirical model, for the simulation of the sloshing motion of the TSD liquid (water). Results indicate that in the tuned condition, even with a low mass ratio, the TSD is highly effective in the suppression of the small amplitude vibrations, which is underestimated by the simulation model.