Effect of Frequency Content of Seismic Excitation on Slosh Response of Liquid Tank with Baffle Plate

Abstract

The violent dynamic behavior of liquid under horizontal excitation is a key factor that needs to be addressed in the seismic-resistant design of liquid tanks. Therefore, this study focuses on the slosh response of the liquid medium in a rectangular tank under Imperial Valley 1979, El Centro 1940 and Kobe 1995 ground motions of different frequency ranges. The ground motions records are selected based on the PGA/PGV ratio. For slosh control, a single vertical perforated baffle plate is used as an anti-slosh element with different configurations of perforations. Considering the free surface elevation as the major response parameter, the effect of percentage of perforation of the baffle plate, clear spacing of perforations and offset distance of the perforated plate are investigated by carrying out the pressure-based transient analysis using computational fluid dynamic (CFD). The optimum perforation varies from 10% to 17%, corresponding to the frequency of ground motion in the range of far-resonant to near-resonant conditions. Additionally, “rapid zone” ([Formula: see text]-zone) and “moderate zone” ([Formula: see text]-zone) are identified to pilot the positioning of the perforated baffle plate in liquid tanks. The perforated baffle plate with an optimum range of moderately spaced perforations positioned at the moderate zone of the tank effectively reduces the free surface elevation. Furthermore, the perforated baffle plate is more advantageous during violent sloshing under near-resonant conditions.