This animation simulates how fluid behaves with different baffle configurations in a water tanker and its effect on the stability of the truck as it turns. This accident occurred when the driver made of a left turn on a roadway approaching a construction site. The speed was in the upper 20’s mph range. As the driver slowed into the turn, the resulting forces caused the water in the tank to move towards the vehicle’s right side and increase in height due to the shape of the tank. The offsetting water mass caused the tanker to tip up onto its right-side wheels and then over, rolling then coming to rest on its left side.

Our engineers were engaged to evaluate the physical parameters and dynamics of the vehicle roll over sequence. The subject tanker was inspected including the baffle configuration within the water tank. A single lateral baffle was installed in the tanker to prevent heavy sloshing during braking and acceleration, but the tank lacked longitudinal baffles to inhibit fluid movement side to side. Fluid simulations were run to show how longitudinal bafflers would have resisted significant sideways fluid movement and the tanker truck would not have rolled over while making the same turn. Fluid simulations were run to demonstrate how the water reacted in both scenarios.