Title: The structural integrity assessment of a partially filled tank pertaining to liquid sloshing upon sudden brake applications

Authors: Hasan M. Abid; Qasim H. Shah; Waleed F. Faris

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Gombk, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Gombk, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Gombk, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract: A liquid cargo contained in a partially filled tank vehicle is known to experience liquid sloshing when subjected to a sudden braking application, which generates liquid forces applied on the tank wall affecting its structural integrity. A cylindrical partially filled tank is modelled in three dimensions using arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) method in LS-DYNA code. The experimental results are compared with the simulation results and demonstrate a good agreement that validate the capability of LS-DYNA method in representing the liquid slosh inside the tank. The study also investigates the effectiveness of baffles that can significantly mitigate the liquid sloshing. In the present study, the arrangement and design of the baffles has been proposed that can reduce the sloshing inside the partially filled tank.

Keywords: liquid sloshing; strain; arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian; LS-DYNA; structural integrity; partially filled tanks; sudden braking; modelling; simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVSMT.2011.044231

International Journal of Vehicle Systems Modelling and Testing, 2011 Vol.6 No.3/4, pp.307 - 317

Published online: 16 Oct 2014 *

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