Variational Solutions for Externally Induced Sloshing

in Horizontal-Cylindrical and Spherical Vessels

Lazaros A. Patkas1 and Spyros A. Karamanos, A.M.ASCE2

Abstract: A mathematical model is developed for calculating linear sloshing effects in the dynamic response of horizontal-cylindrical
and spherical liquid containers under external excitation, with emphasis on earthquake excitation. The velocity potential is expressed in a
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series form, where each term is the product of a time function and the associated spatial function. Because of the configuration of the
containers, the associated spatial functions are nonorthogonal and the problem is not separable, resulting in a system of coupled nonho-
mogeneous ordinary linear differential equations of motion. The solution can be obtained through either direct integration or modal
analysis. Particular emphasis is given on the rate of convergence of the solution. The cases of half-full cylinders and spheres are examined
in detail, where explicit expressions for the coefficients of the governing equations are derived. Using the proposed methodology, sloshing
frequencies and masses are calculated rigorously for arbitrary liquid height of horizontal-cylindrical or spherical containers, and the
response under two characteristic seismic events is obtained. The results describe the linear dynamic response of such containers and can
be used for an efficient seismic analysis and design of industrial pressure vessels.
DOI: 10.1061/共ASCE兲0733-9399共2007兲133:6共641兲
CE Database subject headings: Earthquakes; Mathematical models; Excitation; Seismic analysis.

Introduction
The presence of a free surface in partially filled liquid containers
allows for fluid motions relative to the container. This phenom-
enon, referred to as “liquid sloshing,” is generally caused by ex-
ternal tank excitation, and may have a significant influence on the
dynamic response of the container. The linearized sloshing prob-
lem can be treated as an eigenvalue problem, representing free
fluid vibrations inside a stationary container, and the solution
provides the sloshing frequencies and modes. Under a specific
external excitation, the problem becomes transient problem, rep-
resenting fluid motion within the moving container.
The sloshing solution depends strongly on the container shape.
For non-deformable rectangular and vertical-cylindrical contain-
ers the linear sloshing problem for ideal fluids can be solved
analytically, using separation of variables 共Currie 1974兲, resulting
in a set of uncoupled equations, one for each sloshing mode. The
case of vertical cylindrical vessels has been extensively investi-
gated since the 50’s, mainly motivated by aircraft and space ve-
hicle applications 共Graham and Rodriguez 1952; Abramson
1966兲, and the seismic design of liquid storage tanks 共Housner
1957; Veletsos and Yang 1977兲. Based on this exact sloshing so-
1
Graduate Student, Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering,
Univ. of Thessaly, 38334 Volos, Greece.
2 ing. Most of the work in horizontal cylinders and spheres has
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering,
Univ. of Thessaly, 38334 Volos, Greece 共corresponding author兲. E-mail:
skara@mie.uth.gr
Note. Associate Editor: Andrew W. Smyth. Discussion open until
November 1, 2007. Separate discussions must be submitted for individual
papers. To extend the closing date by one month, a written request must
be filed with the ASCE Managing Editor. The manuscript for this paper
was submitted for review and possible publication on May 24, 2005;
approved on October 10, 2006. This paper is part of the Journal of
Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 133, No. 6, June 1, 2007. ©ASCE, ISSN
0733-9399/2007/6-641–655/$25.00.
lution, other effects, such as tank wall deformation 共Haroun and
Housner 1981; Natsiavas 1988兲 or soil–structure interaction
共Rammerstorfer et al. 1990; Veletsos and Tang 1990兲, can be con-
sidered in an approximate manner. In the case of large excitation
amplitude, significant free-surface elevation may occur, requiring
a nonlinear theory 共Faltinsen 1974; Miles 1976兲. Those nonlinear
effects become prominent when the excitation frequency is close
to resonance 共Solaas and Faltinsen 1997兲. However, for the par-
ticular case of seismic excitation, which is a high-frequency mo-
tion, it has been shown that nonlinear effects do not have an
important influence on the determination of peak hydrodynamic
forces 共Chen et al. 1996兲 and, therefore, they are not taken into
account for the calculation of seismic design force in liquid stor-
age tanks and vessels 共Rammerstorfer et al. 1990; American Pe-
troleum Institute 1995兲. The recent publication of Ibrahim et al.
共2001兲 offers a broad overview of sloshing dynamics, including
both linear and nonlinear analysis, with emphasis on vertical cyl-
inders and rectangles.
Containers in other geometries, such as horizontal cylinders or
spheres have received much less attention, despite the fact that
they are used in several engineering applications. In particular,
they are often used as pressure vessels in chemical plants and
refineries. In these configurations exact analytical solutions for
sloshing may not exist, and dynamic responses have been ob-
tained using numerical methods, in addition to experimental test-
focused on the eigenvalue sloshing problem. The sloshing fre-
quencies have been computed through semianalytical approaches
共Moiseev and Petrov 1966; Fox and Kutler 1981, 1983; McIver
1989兲 or on numerical methods 共McIver and McIver 1993兲. Using
experimental techniques, McCarty and Stephens 共1960兲, and
Kana 共1979兲 measured sloshing frequencies in horizontal cylin-
drical vessels. The corresponding transient problem of externally-
induced sloshing has been studied numerically in an early work
by Budiansky 共1960兲, using space transformations to map the

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J. Eng. Mech. 2007.133:641-655.

 initial circular or spherical region to a more convenient plane
region. The flow field was described by a set of integral equa-
tions, which was solved using a Galerkin-type solution. Budian-
sky’s method was further refined by Chu 共1964兲 to compute more
accurately sloshing frequencies and forces in spherical containers.
More recently, Kobayashi et al. 共1989兲, reported experimental
measurements for sloshing frequencies and hydrodynamic forces
in horizontal cylinders, and compared with analytical values from
equivalent rectangular containers.
For the particular case of half-full horizontal cylinders and
spheres, Evans and Linton 共1993兲 presented an elegant semi-
analytical solution for the sloshing frequencies, expanding the
velocity potential in terms of nonorthogonal bounded spatial
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functions. This solution was extended in the recent works of

Papaspyrou et al. 共2003, 2004兲, for externally induced sloshing in
half-full containers, with particular emphasis on seismic response. Fig. 1. Liquid vessel under external excitation
The present work focuses on a variational solution of linear
sloshing in horizontal-cylindrical and spherical liquid containers
of arbitrary liquid height under any form of horizontal excitation, ⳵⌽
motivated by the need for an efficient seismic analysis of indus- = Ẋ共ex · n兲 at the “ wet ” surface of the vessel wall B1
⳵n
trial pressure vessels. In particular, sloshing frequencies and the
corresponding masses are calculated, to be used for the seismic 共2兲
analysis and design of such vessels. A semi-analytical variational
formulation is developed, where the velocity potential is ex- ⳵ 2⌽ ⳵⌽
2 +g =0 at the free surface B2 共3兲
pressed through series of nonorthogonal spatial functions, and the ⳵t ⳵y
boundary-value problem reduces to a system of ordinary linear
differential equations, and sloshing frequencies, modes and where ex = unit vector in the x-direction and n = outward normal
masses are computed. In addition, hydrodynamic forces are com- vector at B1. The unknown potential can be decomposed in two
puted using either a direct integration of the equations of motion, parts, the “sloshing” potential ⌽S, and the “uniform motion” po-
or a modal analysis, for two typical seismic events. The results tential ⌽U, where
are also compared with available experimental data.
The case of half-full containers is thoroughly examined, and ⌽U = Ẋ共t兲x 共4兲
the formulation results in a system of algebraic equations, with Therefore, the sloshing potential should satisfy
explicit expressions of the coefficient matrices, which allow for
semi-analytical solutions of benchmark quality. Subsequently, the ⵜ 2⌽ S = 0 in ⍀ 共5兲
general case of vessels with arbitrary location of liquid surface is and the following boundary conditions
investigated. Sloshing frequencies, masses and forces are calcu-
lated, using both direct integration of the equations of motion and ⳵⌽S
=0 at B1 共6兲
modal analysis. The convective/impulsive character of the liquid ⳵n
response is discussed in terms of the liquid height. In all numeri-
cal results, accuracy and convergence of the present solution ⳵ 2⌽ S ⳵⌽S ⳵ 2⌽ U
methodology is examined. Using a linear solution for shallow + g = − on B2 共7兲
containers of parabolic shape, presented elsewhere 共Budiansky ⳵t2 ⳵y ⳵t2
1960兲, the fact convergence of the present solution to the domi- Herein, solution of the above problem is constructed using the
nant frequency for small values of the liquid height parameter is weak statement of problem 共5兲–共7兲 considering an admissible
demonstrated. function ␸*共x , y兲

Variational Formulation and Solution

冕 ⍀
共ⵜ2⌽S兲␸*d⍀ = 0 共8兲

Using Green’s theorem and boundary conditions 共6兲 and 共7兲, the
Assuming ideal fluid conditions, the liquid motion in an unde- previous expression is written as follows:
formed 共rigid兲 container under horizontal excitation X共t兲 in the
x-direction 共Fig. 1兲 is described by the flow potential ⌽共x , y , z , t兲,
so that the liquid velocity is the gradient of ⌽ 共u = ⵜ⌽兲, which
satisfies the Laplace equation
冕 ⍀
共ⵜ⌽S兲共ⵜ␸*兲d⍀ +
1
g
冕
B2
⳵ 2⌽ S *
⳵t2
␸ dB2 = −
1
g
冕B2
⳵ 2⌽ U *
⳵t2
␸ dB2

共9兲

⳵ 2⌽ ⳵ 2⌽ ⳵ 2⌽ where B2 = “ free-surface” line of the two-dimensional sector ⍀.

ⵜ 2⌽ = + + =0 in the fluid domain ⍀ 共1兲 Subsequently, Galerkin’s discretization is considered:
⳵x2 ⳵ y 2 ⳵z2
˜
N

subjected to the following boundary conditions:

⌽S = 兺
n=1
qn共t兲Nn共x,y兲 = 关N兴q̇ 共10兲

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J. Eng. Mech. 2007.133:641-655.

 冕
˜
N
␤= 关N兴TnxdB1 共22兲
␸ =
*
兺
n=1
q*nNn共x,y兲 = 关N兴q* 共11兲
B1

where Nn共x , y兲 = known spatial functions; 关N兴 = row-matrix con- and q̈ = calculated from the direct integration of Eq. 共14兲.
taining functions Nn共x , y兲; q̇ = column vector with the unknown If modal analysis is used instead of a direct integration of
functions q̇n共t兲 to be determined; the overdot denotes time deriva- Eq. 共14兲, the equations of motion are transformed in the following
set of uncoupled ordinary differential equations:
tive; q* = arbitrary vector; and Ñ = truncation size. Differentiation
of the previous equations gives M kŸ k + ␻2k M kY k = − ␥kẌ, k = 1,2,3, . . . ,NM 共23兲
ⵜ⌽ = 关B兴q̇ 共12兲 where NM is the number of modes considered 共NM艋 Ñ兲
NM
ⵜ␸* = 关B兴q* 共13兲
Substituting Eqs. 共10兲–共13兲 into Eq. 共9兲, and considering arbitrary
q= 兺 Y k⌿ k 共24兲
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k=1
q*, one results in the following system of second-order linear
ordinary differential equations: M k = ⌿Tk 关M兴⌿k k = 1,2,3, . . . ,NM 共25兲

关M兴q̈ + 关K兴q = − ␥Ẍ 共14兲 ␥k = ⌿Tk ␥ k = 1,2,3, . . . ,NM 共26兲

where Further, damping can be introduced through an appropriate damp-

关M兴 =
1
g
冕
B2
关N兴T关N兴dB2 共15兲
ing ratio ␰k, so that

Ÿ k + 2␰k␻kẎ k + ␻2k Y k = − 共␥k/M k兲Ẍ, k = 1,2,3, . . . ,NM

共27兲
关K兴 = 冕 关B兴 关B兴d⍀
T
共16兲 The sloshing force in Eq. 共21兲 becomes

冕
⍀
NM
⳵⌽S
兺
冕
FS = − ␳ 共ex · n兲dB1 = − LkŸ k 共28兲
1 B1 ⳵t k=1
␥= T
x关N兴 dB2 共17兲
g B2 where
The system of Eq. 共14兲 can be integrated directly to provide the Lk = ␳⌿Tk ␤, k = 1,2,3, . . . ,NM 共29兲
unknown functions qn共t兲 and their derivatives, so that the sloshing
potential is determined. Thus, the total hydrodymanic force on the container’s wall is
The sloshing frequencies and the corresponding eigen-vectors NM
are computed from the solution of the corresponding free-
vibration eigenvalue problem
F=− 兺
k=1
LkŸ k − MLẌ 共30兲

共关K兴 − ␻2k 关M兴兲⌿k = 0, k = 1,2,3, . . . ,Ñ 共18兲 Using the following change of variables:

where ␻k = sloshing frequency of the kth mode ⌿k. Mk

ak = Y k , uk = ak + X, k = 1,2,3, . . . ,NM 共31兲
Hydrodynamic pressures p共x , y , z , t兲 associated with liquid ␥k
motion are calculated directly from ⌽ through the Bernoulli equa-
the liquid motion equations become
tion 共p = −␳⌽̇兲 and the total hydrodynamic force at the container
wall is obtained through an appropriate integration of those pres- äk + 2␰k␻kȧk + ␻2k ak = − Ẍ, k = 1,2,3, . . . ,NM 共32兲
sures on the “wet” surface of the container in the direction of the
earthquake excitation or equivalently

F=−␳ 冕冉 B1
⳵⌽U ⳵⌽S
⳵t
+
⳵t
冊
共ex · n兲dB1 共19兲
ük + 2␰k␻k共u̇k − Ẋ兲 + ␻2k 共uk − X兲 = 0, k = 1,2,3, . . . ,NM
共33兲
Eq. 共19兲 indicates that the force can be expressed as a summation Eq. 共32兲 express the liquid motion with respect to the container,
of the uniform motion force and Eq. 共33兲, express the total liquid motion 共including the mo-

冕
tion of the container兲. Further, the sloshing force and the total
⳵⌽U hydrodynamic force in Eqs. 共28兲 and 共30兲 become
FU = − ␳ 共ex · n兲dB1 = − MLẌ 共20兲
B1 ⳵t NM

where ML = total liquid mass, and the force associated with FS = − 兺

k=1
MkCäk 共34兲
sloshing

冕
NM
⳵⌽S
FS = − ␳
B1 ⳵t
共ex · n兲dB1 = − ␳␤Tq̈ 共21兲 F=− 兺
k=1
MkCäk − MLẌ 共35兲

where where

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J. Eng. Mech. 2007.133:641-655.

 ␥ kL k
MkC = , k = 1,2,3, . . . ,NM 共36兲
Mk
are the so-called sloshing or “convective” masses. Alternatively
NM

F=− 兺
k=1
MkCük − MIẌ 共37兲

so that F may be considered to consist of two components, an

“impulsive” force FI

FI = − MIẌ 共38兲
where
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NM

MI = ML − 兺
k=1
MkC , 共39兲
Fig. 2. Geometry of horizontal-cylindrical vessels

and a convective force FC

y = r cos ␪ 共42兲
NM

FC = − 兺
k=1
MkCük 共40兲 The vessel is subjected to arbitrary external excitation in the di-
rection of the x-axis, with displacement X共t兲. Due to the geometry
of the vessel and the direction of the external excitation, the prob-
Eqs. 共38兲–共40兲 imply that the total mass is the sum of
lem is two dimensional in terms of r, ␪, and the following har-
• The sloshing or convective masses MkC 共k = 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . 兲, which
monic functions are used to describe the sloshing potential:
correspond to the sloshing modes, and refer to the liquid mo-
tion due to free-surface elevation 共convective motion兲; and Nn共r,␪兲 = rn sin n␪, n = 1,2,3, . . . ,Ñ 共43兲
• The impulsive mass MI, which refers to the mass that “fol-
lows” the container motion X共t兲. and the elements of the 2 ⫻ Ñ matrix 关B兴 are
In rectangular and vertical-cylindrical liquid storage tanks,
the sloshing potential can be written in terms of orthogonal ⳵Nn
B1n = = nrn−1 sin共n␪兲 n = 1,2,3, . . . ,Ñ 共44兲
shape functions Nn, analytically calculated. In such a case, the ⳵r
formulation results in a set of uncoupled equations of motion 共i.e.,
matrices 关M兴 and 关K兴 are diagonal兲, and the functions Nn are the 1 ⳵Nn
eigenmodes or sloshing modes 共e.g., Abramson 1966兲. On the B2n = = nrn−1 cos共n␪兲 n = 1,2,3, . . . ,Ñ 共45兲
r ⳵␪
other hand, in horizontal-cylindrical and spherical vessels, ana-
lytical expressions for orthogonal functions do not exist, and the Substituting Eqs. 共43兲–共45兲 into Eqs. 共15兲–共17兲, and conducting
use of numerical methods becomes necessary. In the present the appropriate integrations, the elements of symmetric matrices
work, the sloshing problem in those geometries is formulated in a 关M兴, 关K兴, and vector ␥ are obtained
semi-analytical manner, expressing the sloshing potential in
Eq. 共10兲 in terms of nonorthogonal harmonic functions. All cal-
culations in the present paper are performed in a MATLAB 共The
M mn =
2LRm+n+1
g共m + n + 1兲
sin
m␲
2
冉 冊 冉 冊
sin
n␲
2
, m,n = 1,2,3, . . . ,Ñ

Mathworks Inc., Natick, Mass.兲 programming environment. 共46兲

冋 册
冦 冧
共m − n兲
2nmLRn+m sin ␲
Half-Full Horizontal Cylinders and Spheres 2 m ⫽ n,
,
Kmn = 共m − n兲共m + n兲
Using the formulation described in the previous cross-section,
the case of cylindrical container of semicircular cross section and m␲ 2·m
LR , m = n,
the case of semispherical vessel are examined, in terms of their 2
sloshing frequencies and their dynamic behavior under horizontal
external excitation 共Fig. 2兲. The results are compared with nu- m,n = 1,2,3, . . . ,Ñ 共47兲

冉 冊
merical and semi-analytical results from previous publications.
2LRm+2 m␲
␥m = sin , m = 1,2,3, . . . ,Ñ 共48兲
g共m + 2兲 2
Half-Full Horizontal-Cylindrical Vessels
The fluid with density ␳ is inside a nondeformable horizontal An important observation regarding matrix 关M兴, and vector ␥
cylindrical container half-full 共h = 1兲 of internal radius and length is that
equal to R and L, respectively. The origin of the Cartesian axes x, M mn = 0 if m = 2,4,6, . . . or n = 2,4,6, . . . 共49兲
y, z is the centroid of the circular cross section, and the geometry
of the cylinder is described by the cylindrical 共polar兲 coordinates ␥m = 0 if m = 2,4,6, . . . 共50兲
r, ␪, z, where
Therefore, separating odd and even equations, the ODE system of
x = r sin ␪ 共41兲 the equations of motion 共14兲 can be written as follows:

644 / JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS © ASCE / JUNE 2007

J. Eng. Mech. 2007.133:641-655.

 Table 1. Convergence of Normalized Sloshing Frequencies in a
Half-Full Horizontal Cylinder 共h = 1兲 with respect to Truncation Size Ñ;
Comparison with Results Reported by McIver 共1989兲 and Evans and
Linton 共1993兲

Ñ ␭1 ␭2 ␭3 ␭4
2 1.5074
4 1.3569 10.592
6 1.3558 4.9917 67.632
8 1.3557 4.666 11.451 558.89
10 1.3557 4.6514 8.225 31.564
12 1.3557 4.6511 7.8578 13.55
14 1.3557 4.6511 7.8221 11.431
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16 1.3557 4.6511 7.8199 11.035

18 1.3557 4.6511 7.8199 10.977 Fig. 3. Ground acceleration for El Centro earthquake 共ground
20 1.3557 4.6511 7.8199 10.972 acceleration data from 具www.vibrationdata.com/elcentro.htm典兲
30 1.3557 4.6511 7.8199 10.972
McIver 共1989兲 1.3557 4.6511 7.8199 10.972

冦 冧
Evans and Linton 1.3557 4.6511 7.8199 10.972
共1993兲 ␲LRm+1/2, m=1

冤 冥
共m − 1兲␲ 共m + 1兲␲
sin sin
␤m =

再 冎冉 冊 再 冎冉 冊 冉 冊
2 2 m = 3,5,7,… .
LRm+1 − ,
关Maa兴 关0兴 q̈a 关Kaa兴 关Kab兴 qa ␥a 共m − 1兲 共m + 1兲
+ =− Ẍ
关0兴 关0兴 q̈b 关Kba兴 关Kbb兴 qb 0 0, m = 2,4,6,… .
共51兲 共55兲
Note that only odd-number coefficients qn共t兲 contribute to the
where
sloshing force. Using the El Centro earthquake motion shown
in Fig. 3, the variation of FS with respect to time is plotted in
qa = 关q1 q3 q5 ¯ 兴T
Figs. 4共a兲 共Ñ = 20兲, and in Fig. 4共b兲 considering only the first two
terms of the series solution 共Ñ = 2兲. The numerical results indicate
qb = 关q2 q4 q6 ¯ 兴T that a truncation size Ñ equal to 12 is adequate to provide very
good accuracy.
Using typical static condensation, Eq. 共51兲 can be replaced by the
Using a modal analysis approach, coefficients Ln are ob-
following set of equations:
tained by Eq. 共29兲, where the elements of vector ␤ are defined
in Eq. 共55兲. The sloshing mass ratios MkC / ML are tabulated in
qb = − 关Kbb兴−1关Kba兴qa 共52兲 Table 2, and show that the first sloshing mass is dominant, and
that sloshing masses corresponding to higher modes may be neg-
ligible. Further, in Figs. 5共a and b兲, the sloshing force FS of a
关Maa兴q̈a + 关K⬘兴qa = − ␥aẌ 共53兲 half-full container subjected to the El Centro ground motion
共maximum ground acceleration equal to 0.35g兲, calculated from
where 关Maa兴 and 关K⬘兴 are square symmetric matrices with dimen-
Eq. 共34兲, is plotted using different sloshing modes 共NM= 1 , 4兲.
sion Ñ / 2, and The results in Fig. 5 indicate that consideration of the first
sloshing mass only provides very good accuracy. The same half-
关K⬘兴 = 关Kaa兴 − 关Kab兴关Kbb兴−1关Kba兴 共54兲 full container is also analyzed under the Athens 1999 earthquake,
a typical near-field seismic event with maximum ground accelera-
Eq. 共53兲 can be directly integrated to compute qn共t兲 for an arbi- tion equal to 0.25g, shown in Fig. 6. The corresponding sloshing
trary excitation X共t兲. force FS for different sloshing modes 共NM= 1 , 4兲 is shown in
In Table 1, the normalized sloshing frequencies 共␭n = ␻2nR / g兲 Fig. 7, and the numerical results indicate that using a single mode
of the half-full horizontal cylinder are shown in terms of the only is adequate for a good prediction of the sloshing force for
truncation size. The convergence is monotonic and rather fast, engineering purposes.
taking into account that a truncation size equal to 20 is necessary
to achieve convergence up to five significant digits. Also note that
Half-Full Spherical Vessels
considering only the first two terms of the series 共Ñ = 2兲, one
results in a good approximation of the first sloshing frequency. The liquid with density ␳ is contained inside a half-full nonde-
This table shows that sloshing frequencies are in very good agree- formable spherical vessel 共h = 1兲 of internal radius R 共Fig. 8兲. The
ment with the corresponding values reported in recent publica- origin of the Cartesian axes x, y, z coincides with the sphere
tions 共McIver 1989; Evans and Linton 1993兲. centroid, and the spherical coordinates r, ␪, ⌿ are related to x, y,
Upon direct integration of Eq. 共14兲, the sloshing force FS is z as follows:
calculated from Eq. 共21兲, where nx = sin ␪, and the elements of
vector ␤ are x = r sin ␪ cos ⌿ 共56兲

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J. Eng. Mech. 2007.133:641-655.

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Fig. 4. Sloshing force versus time for half-full horizontal cylinder

共h = 1, R = 1 m, L = 6 m兲 under El Centro earthquake through direct Fig. 5. Sloshing force versus time for half-full horizontal cylinder
integration of equations of motion 共Ñ = 20, 2兲 共h = 1, R = 1 m, L = 6 m兲 under El Centro earthquake through modal
analysis; influence of number of modes NM 共NM= 1 , 4兲

y = r cos ␪ 共57兲
1 ⳵Nn 1
B3n = = − rn−1 P1n共␮兲 sin ⌿, n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ
z = r sin ␪ sin ⌿ 共58兲 r sin ␪ ⳵⌿ sin ␪
共62兲
The vessel is subjected to an arbitrary horizontal excitation along
the x-axis with displacement X共t兲. Spherical harmonics are em- Substituting into Eqs. 共15兲–共17兲, one obtains the symmetric ma-
ployed to express the sloshing potential trices 关M兴 and 关K兴 and vector ␥ with elements

Nn共r,␪,⌿兲 = rn P1n共␮兲cos ⌿, n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共59兲 ␲Rm+n+2

M mn = P1 共0兲P1n共0兲, m,n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共63兲
g共m + n + 2兲 m
where ␮ = cos ␪ and P1n共␮兲⫽associated Legendre polynomial. The
elements of the 3 ⫻ Ñ matrix 关B兴 are
␲Rm+n+1
Kmn = 共amn + bmn + cmn兲, m,n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共64兲
⳵Nn m+n+1
B1n = = nrn−1 P1n共␮兲cos ⌿, n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共60兲
⳵r where

冕
1
1 ⳵Nn ⳵ P1n共␮兲 amn = mn Pm1 共␮兲P1n共␮兲d␮, m,n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共65兲
B2n = = − rn−1 cos ⌿, n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共61兲
r ⳵␪ ⳵␪ 0

Table 2. Sloshing Masses for Half-Full Horizontal Cylinders and Spheres 共h = 1兲

Mass ratios M1C / ML M2C / ML M3C / ML M4C / ML ⌺MnC / ML MI / ML
Horizontal cylinder 0.5692 0.0178 0.0041 0.0015 0.5956 0.4054
Sphere 0.5797 0.0146 0.0037 0.0015 0.6059 0.3941

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 Fig. 8. Geometry of spherical vessels

冕
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1
Pm1 共␮兲 · P1n共␮兲
Fig. 6. Ground acceleration for Athens earthquake 共1999兲 共ground bmn = d␮, m,n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共66兲
1 − ␮2
acceleration data from European Strong Motion Database 0
具www.isesd.cv.ic.ac.uk典兲

冕
1
⳵ Pm1 共␮兲 ⳵ P1n共␮兲
cmn = · 共1 − ␮2兲d␮, m,n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ
0 ⳵␮ ⳵␮
共67兲
and
␲Rm+3 1
␥m = − P 共0兲, m = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共68兲
g共m + 3兲 m
It is readily verified that Eqs. 共49兲 and 共50兲 also apply for the case
of half-full spherical containers. Therefore, separating odd and
even equations, a set of equations similar to the one expressed by
Eqs. 共52兲 and 共53兲 is obtained.
In Table 3, the sloshing frequencies of the half-full spherical
vessel are shown. The convergence is very similar to the corre-
sponding convergence in half-full horizontal cylinders and excel-
lent comparison with the corresponding sloshing frequencies from
recent publications 共McIver 1989; Evans and Linton 1993兲. It is
pointed out that using only two terms of the series solution, a very
good approximation of the fundamental frequency is obtained.
Taking into account that nx = sin ␪ cos ⌿, the following expres-
sion for the elements of ␤ is obtained:

冕
1
␤m = ␲Rm+2 Pm1 共␮兲冑1–␮2d␮ 共69兲
0

and the sloshing force is given by Eq. 共21兲. Alternatively, using a

modal analysis, coefficients Ln are obtained by Eq. 共29兲, where
the elements of vector ␤ are defined in Eq. 共69兲. The sloshing
mass ratios of the half-full sphere over the entire liquid mass ML
are tabulated in Table 2, indicating that sloshing masses corre-
sponding to higher modes 共NM艌 4兲 are negligible. In Fig. 9, the
sloshing force obtained from the above analysis, for a half-full
spherical container is compared with the test data of Stofan and
Armstead 共1962兲. The container is subjected to sinusoidal exter-
nal excitation, X共t兲 = Xmax sin ␻t, and the ratio of the displacement

Table 3. Sloshing Frequencies for Half-Full Spheres 共h = 1兲; Comparison

with Results Reported by McIver 共1989兲 and Evans and Linton 共1993兲
Sloshing
frequencies ␭1 ␭2 ␭3 ␭4

Fig. 7. Sloshing force versus time for half-full horizontal cylinder Present methodology 1.5602 5.2756 8.5044 11.684
共h = 1, R = 1 m, L = 6 m兲 under Athens 1999 earthquake through McIver 共1989兲 1.5602 5.2756 8.5044 11.684
modal analysis; influence of number of Modes NM 共NM= 1 , 4兲 Evans and Linton 共1993兲 1.5602 5.2755 8.5044 11.683

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J. Eng. Mech. 2007.133:641-655.

 Therefore, the volume integral in the left-hand side of Eq. 共71兲 is
transformed to a boundary integral, which is easier to calculate.
Thus, matrix 关K兴 is computed as follows:

关K兴 = 冕B1
关N兴T
⳵关N兴
⳵n
dB1 + 冕 B2
关N兴T
⳵关N兴
⳵n
dB2 共72兲

Note that a similar variational formulation was used by Moissev

and Petrov 共1966兲 for the eingenvalue sloshing problem in spheri-
cal containers. The following analysis for externally induced
sloshing in both horizontal cylinders and spheres with arbitrary
position of liquid free surface is based on Eq. 共71兲.
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Horizontal-Cylindrical Vessels
The liquid surface inside a nondeformable horizontal cylindrical
container of internal radius and length equal to R and L respec-
tively is at an arbitrary position 共0 ⬍ h ⬍ 2兲. The origin of the
Cartesian axes x , y , z is the centroid of the circular cylinder, the
Fig. 9. Comparison between experimental results in water and
geometry of the cylinder is described by the cylindrical 共polar兲
mercury, and present analytical results, for half-full spherical vessels
coordinates r , ␪ , z, where
under sinusoidal excitation; test data reported by Stofan and
Armstead 共1962兲
x = r sin ␪ 共73兲

amplitude of the sinusoidal excitation Xmax over the sphere diam-
eter D is equal to 6.7⫻ 10−3, and the force amplitude is normal-
ized by FN = 4␳gR2Xmax. In general, the present results are in good
agreement with the test data. Differences between the present
results and the test data exist at values of the excitation frequency
␻ very close to the first natural frequency ␻1 共resonance兲, due to
nonlinear effects.
Vessels with Arbitrary Liquid Height
In this section, nondeformable horizontal-cylindrical and spheri-
cal vessels are analyzed under horizontal excitation. The free
surface of the liquid may be at any height 共0 ⬍ H ⬍ 2R兲. Sloshing
y = r cos ␪ 共74兲
The vessel is subjected to arbitrary external excitation in the
direction of the x axis, with displacement X共t兲. The problem is
two-dimensional in terms of r , ␪, and the harmonic functions
Nn共r , ␪兲 of Eq. 共59兲 are used to express ⌽S. Substitution of Nn
into Eqs. 共15兲, 共72兲, and 共17兲 provides the elements of 关M兴, 关K兴,
and ␥. To compute the integrals of the shape functions Nn on
boundaries B1 and B2, the two cases h ⬎ 1 and h ⬍ 1 are consid-
ered separately. If h ⬎ 1, the y axis is chosen upward, so that at
the free surface B2
h−1
r= R 共75兲
cos ␪

冕 冕
␪0
frequencies and hydrodynamic forces are computed expressing 1
the unknown function is expressed in a series of appropriate ¯ dB2 = L共H − R兲 ¯ d␪ 共76兲
B2 −␪0 cos2 ␪
harmonic functions through a variational formulation, based on
Eq. 共9兲. More specifically, Eq. 共9兲 is integrated by parts to provide
⳵Nn
= cos ␪ 冉
⳵Nn sin ␪ ⳵Nn
− 冊 共77兲

冕 冕 冕
⳵n ⳵r H − R ⳵␪
⳵⌽S * 1 ⳵ 2⌽ S *
␸ dB − 共ⵜ2⌽S兲␸*d⍀ + ␸ dB2 and at the wet surface of the container B1, r = R, ⳵Nn / ⳵n
B ⳵n ⍀ g B2 ⳵t2
= ⳵Nn / ⳵r,

=−
ត
X
g
冕
B2
x␸*dB2 共70兲
冕 ¯ dB1 = LR 冕
−␪0
¯ d␪ 共78兲
B1 ␪0
If harmonic functions are used to express the sloshing potential
⌽S, then ⵜ2⌽S = 0 and the previous equation becomes where

␪0 = arccos共h − 1兲 共79兲

冕 B1
⳵⌽S *
⳵n
␸ dB1 + 冕 B2
⳵⌽S *
⳵n
␸ dB2 +
1
g
冕
B2
⳵ 2⌽ S *
⳵t2
␸ dB2 If h ⬍ 1, the y-axis is chosen downward, so that at the free surface
B2

=−
ត
X
g
冕
B2
x␸*dB2 共71兲
r=
1−h
cos ␪
R 共80兲

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 Table 4. Sloshing Frequencies with respect to Liquid Height in Horizontal Cylinders and Spheres
Horizontal cylinder Sphere

h ␭1 ␭2 ␭3 ␭4 ␭1 ␭2 ␭3 ␭4
0.05 1.0102 5.8150 13.5721 26.5391 1.0170 6.7726 15.1315 30.020
0.1 1.0209 5.6462 12.4355 23.324 1.0347 6.5638 13.8911 26.757
0.2 1.0438 5.3550 10.7704 16.494 1.0723 6.2008 11.8764 17.032
0.4 1.0970 4.9370 9.0076 13.041 1.1583 5.6742 9.8543 13.866
0.6 1.1627 4.6987 8.1988 11.652 1.2625 5.3683 8.9418 12.421
0.8 1.2461 4.6067 7.8537 11.074 1.3924 5.2406 8.5509 11.800
1.0 1.3557 4.6511 7.8199 10.972 1.5602 5.2756 8.5045 11.684
1.2 1.5075 4.8509 8.0783 11.293 1.7882 5.4930 8.7793 12.021
1.4 1.7346 5.2768 8.7222 12.157 2.1232 5.9729 9.4763 12.938
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1.6 2.1237 6.1395 10.0815 14.016 2.6864 6.9574 10.9566 14.918

1.8 3.0215 8.3152 13.5640 18.810 3.9595 9.4551 14.7598 20.033
1.9 4.3115 11.5515 18.7696 25.990 5.7615 13.1776 20.4520 27.702
1.95 6.1519 16.2222 26.2969 36.386 8.3121 18.5527 28.6891 38.816

冕 冕
␪0
1 ␪0 = arccos共1 − h兲 共84兲
¯ dB2 = L共R − H兲 ¯ d␪ 共81兲
B2 −␪0 cos2 ␪
Conducting the appropriate integrations, matrices 关M兴, 关K兴 and

冉 冊
vector ␥ are obtained as follows:
⳵Nn ⳵Nn sin ␪ ⳵Nn
= cos ␪ − 共82兲
⳵n ⳵r R − H ⳵␪

冦 冧
冕
␪0
and at the wet surface of the container B1, r = R, ⳵Nn / ⳵n 2L共H − R兲n+m+1 sin n␪ sin m␪
d␪, h ⬎ 1,
= ⳵Nn / ⳵r g 0 cosm+n+2 ␪
M mn =

冕 冕 冕
␪0
−␪0
2L共R − H兲n+m+1 sin n␪ sin m␪
¯ dB1 = LR ¯ d␪ 共83兲 d␪, h ⬍ 1,
g 0 cosm+n+2 ␪
B1 ␪0

where m,n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共85兲

冦 冧
冕 冕
␪0 ␲
sin n␪ sin共m − 1兲␪
2Lm共H − R兲n+m d␪ + 2LRn+mm sin n␪ sin m␪d␪, h ⬎ 1,
0 cosm+n+1 ␪ ␪0
Kmn = m,n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共86兲

冕 冕
␪0 ␪0
sin n␪ sin共m − 1兲␪
− 2Lm共R − H兲n+m d␪ + 2LRn+mm sin n␪ sin m␪d␪, h ⬍ 1,
0 cosm+n+1 ␪ 0

and The sloshing frequencies of a two-dimensional circular cylin-

der in terms of the liquid depth are shown in Table 4, and graphi-

冦 冧
冕
␪0 cally in Fig. 10. The computed values compare very well with the
2L共H − R兲m+2 sin n␪ sin m␪
d␪, h ⬎ 1, corresponding values reported by McIver 共1989兲, as well as the
g cosm+3 ␪
0
test data reported by McCarty and Stephens 共1960兲, also shown in
␥m =

冕
␪0 Fig. 10. Table 5 shows the dependence of the first three sloshing
2L共H − R兲m+2 sin n␪ sin m␪
d␪, h ⬍ 1, frequencies on the truncation size Ñ, for h = 1.4 and h = 0.6. In
g 0 cosm+3 ␪ general, the results show that the rate of convergence is higher in
the low modes than in than in the higher modes. Further, the
m = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共87兲
solution converges faster in the case of h = 0.6, rather than the
case of h = 1.4.
where For the particular case of nearly-full containers 共h → ⬁兲, all

再 冎
sloshing frequencies approach an infinite value 共limh→2 ␭n = ⬁兲.
arccos共h − 1兲, h ⬎ 1 This can be verified analytically considering that for h → 2 and
␪0 = 共88兲
arccos共1 − h兲, h ⬍ 1 兩␪兩 艋 ␪0 → 0:

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J. Eng. Mech. 2007.133:641-655.

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Fig. 10. Variation of sloshing frequencies with respect to liquid

height in a horizontal cylinder and comparison with experimental
results; test data reported by McCarty and Stephens 共1960兲

冕
␪0
sin n␪ sin m␪ mn 3 Fig. 11. Sloshing force versus time for horizontal cylinder with
d␪ ⬃ ␪ 共89兲
0 cos3 ␪ 3 0 h = 1.4 共R = 1 m, L = 6 m兲 under El Centro earthquake through direct
integration of equations of motion 共Ñ = 30, 2兲
so that for a nearly-full vessel of unit radius the elements of 关M兴
and 关K兴 have the following limiting form:

冦 冧
mn 3
2L mn 3 ␪ , m⫽n
− 2L
M mn ⬃ ␪ 共90兲 Kmn ⬃ 3 0 共91兲
g 3 0 Ln␲, m=n

Eqs. 共90兲 and 共91兲 indicate that, for ␪0 → 0, all elements of matrix
关M兴 vanish, and 关K兴 becomes a diagonal matrix. Therefore, all
eigenvalues of the nearly full container approach an infinite value.
Table 5. Convergence of Sloshing Frequencies in a Horizontal Cylinder For a more detailed eigenvalue analysis of the linear sloshing
with h = 1.4 and h = 0.6 with respect to Truncation Size Ñ; Comparison problem in the nearly full geometry, the reader is referred to the
with Results Reported by McIver 共1989兲. work of Miles 共1972兲.
h = 1.4 h = 0.6 On the other hand, the numerical values of ␭n for small values
of h are consistent with the limit values calculated by Lamb
Ñ ␭1 ␭2 ␭3 ␭1 ␭2 ␭3 共1932兲 and Budiansky 共1960兲, as described briefly in the Appen-
2 2.3635 1.1960 dix 共␭1 → 1, ␭2 → 6, ␭3 → 15, etc.兲. Furthermore, the first eigen-
4 1.7627 35.715 1.1627 6.2776 mode 共␾1 = P1共␰兲 = 共1 / L兲x = 共1 / L兲r cos ␪兲 is in the form of the first
6 1.7352 7.7661 797.64 1.1627 4.7616 19.33 term of the series solution 共N1 = r cos ␪兲, and this explains the
8 1.7349 5.5079 42.458 1.1627 4.7001 8.9765
rapid convergence of the solution to the first sloshing frequency
when the liquid height decreases.
10 1.7348 5.2847 12.91 1.1627 4.6987 8.2769
Upon integration of the equations of motion and the determi-
12 1.7347 5.2774 9.2911 1.1627 4.6987 8.2021
nation of qn共t兲, the sloshing force can be computed from Eq. 共21兲,
14 1.7347 5.2773 8.7765 1.1627 4.6987 8.1988
where the elements of vector ␤ are
16 1.7346 5.277 8.7269 1.1627 4.6987 8.1988

冕
冦 冧
18 1.7346 5.2769 8.7235 1.1627 4.6987 8.1988 ␲
20 1.7346 5.2769 8.7224 1.1627 4.6987 8.1988 2LRn+1 sin n␪ sin ␪d␪, h ⬎ 1
22 1.7346 5.2768 8.7223 1.1627 4.6987 8.1988 ␪0

冕
␤n = ␪0 共92兲
24 1.7346 5.2768 8.7222 1.1627 4.6987 8.1988
30 1.7346 5.2768 8.7222 1.1627 4.6987 8.1988 2LR n+1
sin n␪ sin ␪d␪, h ⬍ 1
0
McIver 1.7346 5.2768 8.7221 1.1627 4.6987 8.1988
共1989兲
and the total liquid mass ML is

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 Table 6. Variation of Sloshing Masses with respect to Liquid Height in a Horizontal Cylinder
h M1C / ML M2C / ML M3C / ML M4C / ML ⌺MnC / ML MI / ML
0.05 0.97994 0.000154 0.0000006 0.0000000 0.98009 0.01991
0.1 0.95974 0.000577 0.0000079 0.0000004 0.96032 0.03968
0.2 0.91895 0.002010 0.0000821 0.0000115 0.92105 0.07895
0.4 0.83566 0.006113 0.0006170 0.0001524 0.84264 0.15736
0.6 0.74989 0.010585 0.0016235 0.0004958 0.76310 0.23690
0.8 0.66125 0.014636 0.0028551 0.0009891 0.68110 0.31890
1.0 0.56916 0.017797 0.0040544 0.0015392 0.59547 0.40543
1.2 0.47276 0.019669 0.0050013 0.0020323 0.50407 0.49593
1.4 0.37077 0.019790 0.0054773 0.0023499 0.40753 0.59247
1.6 0.26115 0.017534 0.0052114 0.0023401 0.30165 0.69835
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1.8 0.14032 0.011849 0.0037700 0.0017673 0.18100 0.81900

1.9 0.07361 0.007076 0.0023414 0.0011258 0.09045 0.90955
1.95 0.03793 0.003948 0.0013389 0.0006539 0.05940 0.94060

冦 冧
R 2L
␳ 共2␲ − 2␪0 + sin 2␪0兲, h ⬎ 1
2
ML = 共93兲
R 2L
␳ 共2␪0 − sin 2␪0兲, h⬍1
2 is practically equal to zero MI → 0. Using the variational formu-
and ␪0 is calculated from Eq. 共88兲. In Figs. 11共a and b兲, the
sloshing force for a cylinder with R = 1 m, L = 6 m, h = 1.4 is
shown for Ñ = 30 and Ñ = 2, subjected to the El Centro seismic
ground motion. The numerical results show that a truncation size
Ñ of about 20 is necessary to obtain very accurate results.
Alternatively, sloshing force can be computed from modal
analysis, through the corresponding sloshing masses, as computed
by Eq. 共34兲. Table 6 and Fig. 12 show the variation of the sloshing
masses with respect to the liquid height. It is important to note
that, generally, the first sloshing mass is a substantial part of the
total liquid mass, whereas the sloshing masses corresponding to
higher modes are significantly smaller. In the case of nearly full
containers 共h → 2兲 the behavior becomes impulsive, in the sense
that the impulsive mass is approximately equal to the total liquid
mass 共MI → ML兲, so that sloshing effects are inconsequential.
On the other hand, when the liquid height is small h → 0, the
behavior becomes convective in the sense that the impulsive mass
lation of the Eq. 共107兲, expressing the velocity potential ␾共x , t兲
in terms of the corresponding eigenfunctions P2n−1共␰兲, and
considering the orthogonality of the Legendre polynomials,
one readily obtains that in the limit h → 0 the entire liquid
mass is equal to the first sloshing mass 共M1C → ML兲, whereas
sloshing masses corresponding to higher modes appear to vanish
关MnC → 0 , n 艌 2兴. It should be noted that for a detailed sloshing
analysis in a nearly-empty container nonlinear effects may be
significant for the liquid motion, especially when the excitation
frequency is close to resonance 共Faltinsen and Timokha 2002兲. In
the case of high-frequency seismic motions, the dominant earth-
quake frequency is far from resonance. Further, in a nearly empty
container, the total liquid mass is relatively small compared with
the total mass of the moving vessel. Therefore, a refinement of the
previous linear sloshing solution to account for nonlinear effects
is expected to have a rather small influence on the earthquake
response of the liquid-vessel system.

Spherical Vessels
The liquid surface inside a non-deformable spherical container of
internal radius equal to R is at an arbitrary position 共0 ⬍ h ⬍ 2兲.
The origin of the Cartesian axes x, y, z is the centroid of the
sphere, and the geometry is described in terms of the spherical
coordinates r, ␪, ⌿ where
x = r sin ␪ cos ⌿ 共94兲

y = r cos ␪ 共95兲

z = r sin ␪ sin ⌿ 共96兲

Fig. 12. Variation of sloshing masses with respect to liquid height in
a horizontal cylinder
The vessel is subjected to arbitrary external excitation in the
direction of the x-axis, with displacement X共t兲. The harmonic
functions of Eq. 共10兲 are used to describe the sloshing potential.
Substitution of Nn共r , ␪ , ⌿兲 into Eqs. 共15兲, 共72兲, and 共17兲 provides
the elements of 关M兴, 关K兴 and ␥, respectively. To compute the
integrals of the shape functions on B1 and B2, the two cases
h ⬍ 1 and h ⬎ 1 are considered separately. If h ⬎ 1, the y-axis is
chosen upward, so that at the free surface B2 Eqs. 共75兲 and 共77兲
are valid, and

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J. Eng. Mech. 2007.133:641-655.

 冕 冕 Eq. 共84兲. Shape functions Nn共r , ␪ , ⌿兲 of Eq. 共59兲, are employed
␪0
sin ␪
¯ dB2 = 2␲共H − R兲2 ¯ d␪ 共97兲 and conducting the appropriate integrations, the elements of 关M兴,
cos3 ␪
B2 −␪0 关K兴 and ␥ are given by the following expressions:

冦 冧
冕
whereas at wet surface of the spherical container B1, r = R, and ␤
共H − R兲n+m+2 P1n共␮兲Pm1 共␮兲
d␮, h ⬎ 1,

冕 冕
−␪0 g ␣ ␮n+m+3
¯ dB1 = 2␲R2 ¯ sin ␪d␪ 共98兲 M mn =

冕
␤
B1 ␪0 共R − H兲n+m+2 P1n共␮兲Pm1 共␮兲
d␮, h ⬍ 1,
where ␪0 is given by Eq. 共79兲. If h ⬍ 1, the y axis is chosen g ␣ ␮n+m+3
downward, so that at the free surface B2 Eqs. 共80兲 and 共82兲 are
valid, together with Eqs. 共97兲 and 共98兲, where ␪0 is given by m,n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共99兲
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冦 冧
冕 冕
␤ ␥
P1n共␮兲Pm−1
1
共␮兲
共m + 1兲共H − R兲n+m+1 d␮ + mRn+m+1 P1n共␮兲Pm1 共␮兲d␮, h ⬎ 1,
␣ ␮ n+m+3
−1
Kmn = m,n = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共100兲

冕 冕
␤ 1
P1n共␮兲Pm−1
1
共␮兲
− 共m + 1兲共R − H兲n+m+1 d␮ + mRn+m+1 P1n共␮兲Pm1 共␮兲d␮, h ⬍ 1,
␣ ␮ n+m+3
␥

冦 冧 冦 冧
冕 Pm1 共␮兲冑1 − ␮2
冕
␤ ␥
共H − R兲m+3
d␮, h ⬎ 1, ␲Rn+2 Pm1 共␮兲冑1 − ␮2d␮, h ⬎ 1
g ␣ ␮m+4 −1
␥m = ␤n = 共103兲

冕
␤
Pm1 共␮兲冑1 − ␮2
冕
1
共R − H兲m+3
d␮, h ⬍ 1, ␲R n+2
Pm1 共␮兲 冑1 − ␮ d␮,
2
h⬍1
g ␣ ␮m+4 ␥

m = 1,2, . . . ,Ñ 共101兲 and the total liquid mass ML is

ML = ␳ 3 ␲R3关1 − 4 共2 − h兲2共1 + h兲兴
4 1
共104兲

where Alternatively, sloshing force can be computed, through the corre-

sponding sloshing masses. Table 7 shows the variation of the first
four sloshing masses with respect to the liquid height. The

冦 冧
H−R
, ␤ = 1, h ⬎ 1
␥=
R
␣= 共102兲
R−H
␣=␥= , ␤ = 1, h ⬍ 1
R

Using matrices 关M兴 and 关K兴, the sloshing frequencies of a spheri-

cal container with arbitrary liquid height can be computed, from
the corresponding eigenvalue problem. Table 4 shows the values
of normalized sloshing frequencies with respect to the liquid
height parameter h. The sloshing frequencies are also depicted in
Fig. 13, and compare very well with the numerical results of
McIver 共1989兲, as well as the experimental values of McCarty
and Stephens 共1960兲, shown in Fig. 13. The present numerical
results show that convergence is more rapid for relatively shallow
containers 共small values of h兲. Sloshing frequencies approach an
infinite value for h → 2, whereas for small values of h the numeri-
cal values of ␭n are consistent with the values obtained by Lamb
共1932兲, Budiansky 共1960兲 using a methodology similar to the one
described in the Appendix 共␭n = 2n2 − 1, n = 1 , 2 , 3 , . . .兲.
Sloshing forces can be computed by Eq. 共21兲, where qn共t兲 are Fig. 13. Variation of sloshing frequencies with respect to liquid
obtained through direct integration of the equations of motion, height in a spherical vessel and comparison with experimental
and the elements of ␤ are results; test data reported by McCarty and Stephens 共1960兲

652 / JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS © ASCE / JUNE 2007

J. Eng. Mech. 2007.133:641-655.

 Table 7. Variation of Sloshing Masses with respect to Liquid Height in a Spherical Container
h M1C / ML M2C / ML M3C / ML M4C / ML ⌺MnC / ML MI / ML
0.05 0.98315 0.000102 0.0000005 0.0000000 0.98326 0.01674
0.1 0.96594 0.000387 0.0000064 0.0000003 0.96634 0.03366
0.2 0.93038 0.001374 0.0000667 0.0000104 0.93184 0.06816
0.4 0.85437 0.004341 0.0005155 0.0001406 0.85947 0.14053
0.6 0.77117 0.007850 0.0013969 0.0004640 0.78136 0.21864
0.8 0.67990 0.011396 0.0025337 0.0009401 0.69619 0.30381
1.0 0.57969 0.014576 0.0037169 0.0014976 0.60594 0.39406
1.2 0.46981 0.016874 0.0047195 0.0020190 0.49844 0.50156
1.4 0.35009 0.017526 0.0052523 0.0023532 0.38440 0.61560
1.6 0.22222 0.015419 0.0048997 0.0022806 0.26162 0.73838
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1.8 0.09363 0.009185 0.0031036 0.0014989 0.12608 0.87392

1.9 0.03655 0.004387 0.0015438 0.0007635 0.05586 0.94414
1.95 0.01364 0.001851 0.0006696 0.0003361 0.01810 0.98190

numerical results are similar to those obtained for the two-
dimensional cylinder, and show that the first sloshing mass
constitutes a substantial part of the total liquid mass, whereas
the sloshing masses corresponding to higher modes are signifi-
cantly smaller. Sloshing masses and impulsive masses are plotted
in Fig. 14. The behavior is quasi-impulsive for h → 2 whereas for
small values of h 共i.e., for h → 0兲, the total liquid mass is practi-
cally equal to the first sloshing mass. Note that the first sloshing
mode ␾1共s , ⌿兲 coincides with the first term of the series solution
关N1 = rP11共␮兲cos ⌿兴.
Conclusions
The present paper investigates linearized sloshing in horizontal-
cylindrical and spherical vessels, using a variational formulation.
Free-vibration sloshing, as well as externally induced sloshing are
examined, with emphasis on earthquake excitation. The unknown
sloshing potential is expressed in a series of harmonic nonor-
thogonal shape functions, and very accurate results for the slosh-
ing frequencies are obtained. The convergence rate is found to be
quite rapid, especially in vessels with relatively small liquid
height. Using a direct integration of the equations of motion,
sloshing 共or convective兲 forces are calculated numerically. It is
found that a small truncation number is required to obtain accu-
rate results. Further, using a modal analysis, sloshing 共or convec-
tive兲 masses have been calculated, each one corresponding to a
specific sloshing frequency and mode. The results demonstrate
that calculations of the convective force using only the first con-
vective mass yields quite accurate predictions for engineering
purposes. It was also shown that the convective mass of the liquid
decreases with increasing liquid depth. In particular, the special
case of half-full horizontal cylinders and spheres is examined in
detail. In these geometries, explicit expressions are obtained for
the coefficient matrices in the equations of motion, so that results
of benchmark accuracy for the sloshing frequencies are obtained.
The sloshing frequencies and masses calculated in the present
paper give rise to the development of mechanical models and can
be used toward efficient seismic analysis and design of industrial
pressure vessels.

Appendix

The following linear sloshing formulation and for early-empty

vessels has been presented in the early works of Lamb 共1932兲 and
Budiansky 共1960兲, and it is summarized herein for the sake of
completeness. For the case of a two-dimensional circular con-
tainer, without loss of generality, it is assumed that the shallow
vessel has a unit length in the z direction, and a parabolic shape
关Fig. 15共a兲兴 in the x-y plane

1 2 2 C2
y共x兲 = 共C − x 兲 = 共1 − ␰2兲 共105兲
2R 2R
where ␰ = x / C, and the total liquid mass is readily calculated as
follows:

冕 冕
C 1
C3 2␳C3
ML = ␳ y共x兲dx = ␳ 共1 − ␰2兲d␰ = 共106兲
−C −1 2R 3R

It is also assumed that the sloshing potential does not depend on

Fig. 14. Variation of sloshing masses with respect to liquid height in the y coordinate so that ⌽S = ␾共x , t兲 and the variational equation
a spherical container of motion 共9兲 becomes

JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING MECHANICS © ASCE / JUNE 2007 / 653

J. Eng. Mech. 2007.133:641-655.

 y-coordinate so that ␾共s , ⌿兲, the following sloshing frequencies
and modes are obtained:

␭n = 2n2 − 1, n = 1,2,3, . . . 共113兲

␾n共s,⌿兲 = 冉兺 冊
n

i=1
f̂ is2i−1 cos ⌿, n = 1,2,3, . . . 共114兲

where f̂ 1 = 1 and

共n2 − i2兲
f̂ i+1 = − f̂ i, i = 1,2,3, . . . ,n − 1 共115兲
i共i + 1兲
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