Sloshing Cargo in Silo Vehicles

The driving stability of silo vehicles is significantly affected by the type of cargo that is transported and the design of the tank. Cargo motion can have both beneficial and negative aspects in terms of driving stability and braking performance. Neglecting the influence of the dynamically moving cargo in driving simulations of silo vehicles leads to significant errors in the simulation results. We propose a new method for the dynamic simulation of silo vehicles carrying granulates. The method couples Lagrangian particle methods, such as the discrete element method, and multibody systems methods using co-simulations. We demonstrate the capability of the new approach by providing simulation results of two benchmark maneuvers.