Violent Sloshing and Wave Impact in a Seismically Excited Liquid-Filled Tank: Meshfree Particle Approach

Abstract

A meshfree particle approach, namely moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method is used to investigate the sloshing behavior in a partially filled liquid container. The validity of the numerical model is checked by comparing the sloshing motion in tanks undergoing sinusoidal and earthquake excitations with the published results. A comprehensive study of seismically excited violent sloshing motion and wave impact using a particle method, not reported in open literature, were taken up in the present study. Three ground acceleration time histories of varying characteristics were selected as the external excitations to the liquid tank system. The influence of the frequency content of ground acceleration on the violent sloshing characteristics was studied by scaling the peak ground acceleration to a fixed value for all the earthquake events. The assessment of dynamic responses, such as base shear, overturning moment, pressure load exerted on tank walls and ceiling, and slosh displacement arising out of vicious sloshing phenomenon, was competently carried out subjected to the selected ground excitations. A higher magnitude of dynamic responses, such as impact pressure load, base shear, and overturning moment, was evaluated for low frequency-content earthquake compared with that of a high frequency-content earthquake.