Using Chrono::FSI and Chrono::Vehicle for the Analysis of Sloshing Phenomena in Vehicle Dynamics Maneuvers

We present several simulations carried out using Chrono::FSI and Chrono::Vehicle that highlight the two way coupling between the dynamics of a vehicle and the dynamics of a fluid that is free to move in a tank rigidly attached to the vehicle; i.e., a vehicle sloshing problem. The simulations are carried out in Chrono [1] using a monolithic solution; i.e., there is no co-simulation, the entire set of equations of motion are solved at the same time. The dynamics of the fluid phase is formulated using the mass and momentum balance equations, the latter known as the Navier-Stokes equations. The fluid herein is considered inviscid. The vehicle dynamics is formulated using a set of differential complementarity equations, which represent the combination of an index 3 set of differential algebraic equations with complementarity conditions that capture the Coulomb friction model [2]. The problem is discretized in space using a meshless approach – the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method [3, 4]. Incompressibility is enforced via kinematic constraint equations, which are stated in terms of the velocity of the SPH particles and enforce a constant fluid density constraint [5]. The set of equations is discretized in time using a symplectic half-implicit Euler scheme [6]. The overall discretized problem leads to a Cone Complementarity Problem that is solved using a Barzilai-Borwein type method [7].