Non-linear finite element analysis of seismically excited sloped wall tank

The non-linear seismic behavior of a ground-supported sloped wall tank is analyzed in the present study using a finite element model. A combination of three-node triangular and four-node quadrilateral finite elements is used to discretize the liquid domain. The velocity potential formulation is adopted for the liquid domain with a mixed Eulerian-Lagrangian scheme. By comparing the current numerical results with the existing experimental results, the competency of the present non-linear model is verified. The fundamental sloshing frequencies obtained from the present non-linear model are found closer to the experimental results compared to the linear counterpart. Non-linear seismic characteristics of liquid sloshing inside a ground-supported sloped wall tank are investigated under six different earthquakes categorized as low-, intermediate-, and high-frequency contents. Also, the dynamic impulsive and convective response components of hydrodynamic base shear force and pressure are quantified successfully. The comparison of the non-linear hydrodynamic response with the linear counterpart shows a significant difference in results which reasonably clarifies the limited capabilities of the linear model for response prediction as well as designing sloped wall tanks subjected to seismic excitation. The developed nonlinear numerical model in the present study can be utilized for tuning and designing structure-coupled sloped wall TLDs.