A simplified mechanical model with fluid-structure interaction for rectangular tank sloshing under horizontal excitation

Based on the spring-mass model, a novel mechanical model of sloshing with fluid-structure interaction under a horizontal excitation is proposed, and the coupled dynamic equation of sloshing system is established. Considering the flexibility of bulkhead, the effects of certain factors, such as bulkhead bending stiffness and filling ratios, on the mode of coupled sloshing system are investigated. It is found that these factors have significant influence on the mode. By comparing the present results with the results of ADINA based on the linear potential flow theory and published literatures, the proposed coupled sloshing model is verified. The results show that the simplified rigid mass, m(0), dominates the contributions to bending moment near the bottom of a bulkhead and the spring-mass, m(1), k(1) to bending moment near the liquid-free surface of a bulkhead. Furthermore, the computational cost is greatly reduced by using the proposed mechanical model with fluid-structure interaction for a rectangular tank sloshing.