Tuned liquid dampers for controlling earthquake response of structures by P. Banerji et al. , Earthquake Engng Struct. Dyn. 2000; 29 (5):587–602

The purpose of this discussion is to clarify the underlying mechanism in sloshing at high amplitudes which has been modelled in a simplistic manner by most researchers studying tuned liquid dampers (TLDs). Unfortunately, while this simpli>ed approach works adequately at low amplitudes of motion, it fails to capture the key features of prevailing sloshing/slamming actions at higher amplitudes of motion. This discussion has been prompted by one of the latest papers dealing with TLDs by Banerji et al. [1]. The main thesis of the subject paper is that a TLD can be utilized for the reduction of motion induced by large amplitude excitations, e.g., earthquakes. The authors followed the formulation given by Sun et al. [2] for obtaining the equations of motion of the sloshing wave surface pro>le, which was not intended for a wide range of amplitudes of motion. By solving the equations of motion given in Reference [2], they obtain the wave heights at both ends of the tank, n and 0. However, for calculating the shear force developed at the base of the TLD due to sloshing, the following equation was used in the paper: