Baffles in the Oil Container Truck

Good answer, and a nice quick response too.

It continues to amaze me however why questions like this are being asked. The answers to the questions seems obvious, if only the person would consider the physics of what they are dealing with and the consequences of not having the baffles or the holes.

Maybe people are more interested in a quick answer from someone who can and does think than in having to do it themselves.

"It continues to amaze me..." me too. Often wonder why I bother - but sometimes it seems easier to give an answer than to think up some clever put-down - and too much to ignore.

If it's obviously homework (you can tell when they're transcribed from a set question) I won't touch it; if it's a no-brainer (as above) I'm often tempted. I'm a sucker at heart .

I could not agree more.

Even a most basic understanding pf physics (first year junior school) should have answered this question without needing to post here.....

DDDUUUUUUHHHHHHHHH!!!

And if there were no holes, you would have a multicompartmented tank.

In the old days, milk tankers had no baffles. If the driver was not paying attention he would over turn the truck if a wheel dropped off the roadway in a fast turn.

In the old days? I have news for you they are still without baffles. FDA wont approve because it gives too many places for bacteria to hide. I am a current milk hauler.

Sorry, haven't looked into a milk tank since 1973.

Are the tanks usually filled completely before hauling them? That would certainly help in keeping the fluid from sloshing around.

In U.S. there are weight limits that prevent going completely full. Plus you give the truck a higher center of gravity, making it easier to turn over.

Also with high fat content milk there is possibility that during a long run road trip through winding country lanes (UK) if baffles are installed, the milk will get churned, and hey, you got butter!

UMMMMMMMM Butter (in the voice of Homer Simpson)

The baffles in the container are there to control the way the liquid will move when accelerating and braking. Without the baffles the liquid, under hard braking accelerate forward and make controlling the truck very dificult. The holes are to still allow the liquid to move around but with some control of how violently this would take place. By the way the driver would feel very worried within a short time

There's plenty smooth bore tank trailer drivers that handle less than full loads safely

Around here its quite common to run tanker trucks without baffled tanks. I drove one for a summer hauling around 5400 gallons of oil well production water at a time and its really not that big of deal to drive even in hills and stop and go traffic.

Once you get familiar with the slosh travel times and momentum it carries it becomes part of your driving routine to the point of not even noticing it.

stopping twice is routine

Now if you installed mini tidal energy generators in the baffle holes you could use the sloshing to generate electrical power which would obviously be enough to power the vehicle
Del

Performance could be improved by constantly and alternately smashing the brake and gas pedals.

Not that, that takes too much energy. Just put a hydraulic cylinder under one end of the tank and rock it up and down slowly.

That way you could generate your own power at truck stops, too.

Of course, if baffles are provided without holes then a range of self-adhesive holes may be found in the KrisDel™ catalogue.

Bet that baffles the OP.

I remember a bad wreck involving a fire truck with no baffles. The water "high sided" in a curve.

The function of baffles are to maintain consistent weight distribution to improve vehicle handling.

The holes allow the tank to be filled and drained.

During the UK Fireman's Strike of 1977 the UK government brought out of retirement the old Army "Green Goddess", a VERY old truck with minimal firefighting capabilities from the end of the Second World War.

After the first few calls, and the accidents, vehicle roll-overs, caused by the lack of baffles in the onboard water tank, EVERY "Green Goddess" was immediately fitted with baffles.

Yes they DID make a difference!!..... At least when you stopped, it was in a straight line, cornering was never good those old Bedford's, even without water, so you NEVER when more than 25KPH around a corner.

How did the driver feel?... Bloody relieved knowing that you (and the truck) would come back in one piece!

When the fluid is uh restrained by the baffles when the truck starts the fluid tents to stay where it is. The back of the truck is moving the fluid then piles up in the back then bounces forward and slams into the front of the tank. The reverse happens when stopping. The holes let you have one outlet and not one for each space between the baffles.

If the baffles weren't there,and I've driven one without the baffles,If the tank is only ½ full, when you stop after a second or two you get a thump up your back which if your not expecting it and you don't have your foot on the brake can move you forward 2-3 feet, then you get the wave moving to the back so you get another thump, As for the holes, with a single tank it allows the fluid to be drained out,the baffles are not to divide the tank but to slow the movement of the fluid unless of course it is a multi compartment tank then they are to separate the load & then each compartment has it's own outlet.

Bazzer

Thank you sir for your reply.

could you explain in more details about "in a multi compartment tank then they (baffles) are to separate the load"? which loads you are talking about?

take a look at a fuel tanker, on the side it has several outlet nozzles, these connect to the compartments of the tanker which are there for several reasons.

One for safety and second because if you did not have several compartments in a road tanker then the problem of fluid movement would make the vehicle un-stable on the road. And in each compartment there are baffles to slow down fluid movement.

In the UK when you could buy different grades of fuel, these compartments carried different fuels.... not sure if petrol and diesel are carried in the same tanker these days... but you get the idea!!

If you have say a 5 compartment tank you could carry different types of fuel or different orders in each compartment.

Bazzer

I think he might feel lonely, and that no one really understands his creative side. But that feeling might be part of the reason he's in a tanker truck. It's making me feel a little sad right now. cheers