Experimental Study on Impulse-Induced Liquid Sloshing Modes and Frequencies in Rectangular Tanks

Abstract

Storage tanks are extensively used containers in various industries for storing diverse liquids. The sloshing of liquid in these containers, often caused by earthquakes, is an emerging issue in the context of damage sustained by tanks. Thus, the seismic resilience of a tank is a critical performance criterion in tank design. Given the complexity of liquid sloshing, the fundamental characteristics of this phenomenon must be examined to gain insights into fundamental sloshing behavior. Liquid sloshing typically involves a combination of fundamental and higher sloshing modes, and the modes and frequencies of liquid sloshing are therefore crucial for assessing this complex behavior. In this study, a shaking table test was employed to analyze the characteristics of liquid sloshing modes. The shapes of the first three sloshing modes under unidirectional excitation were determined and used to validate their symmetry. The findings indicate that the first sloshing mode exerts a more pronounced influence on liquid sloshing during free oscillation induced by unidirectional and horizontal excitation. The modal contribution factor of the first sloshing mode escalates with an increase in the ratio of the liquid level to the length of the tank parallel to the shaking direction, eventually converging toward a constant value.