Experimental and numerical investigations of roll-induced sloshing behaviors in rectangular tanks with elastic bulkheads

Although tank sloshing in rigid tanks has been widely studied, sloshing behavior in elastic-walled tanks remains less understood despite its engineering relevance. This paper investigates the sloshing behaviors in rectangular tanks with elastic bulkheads both experimentally and numerically. Four rectangular liquid tanks with different wall thickness/elasticity were designed and fabricated for the sloshing experiments under rolling excitation motions subjected to prescribed sinusoidal roll excitation. Fluid pressure and structural stress on the side walls at different height levels as well as free surface pattern were measured and analyzed. Moreover, a two-way Computational Fluid Dynamics-Finite Element Method fluid–structure interaction model is established using the STAR-CCM+ software. The fluid domain is solved by the Finite Volume Method, while the structural deformation of wall structure is calculated by the built-in solid solver. This study systematically analyzes the effects of three different factors including fluid filling ratio, excitation frequency, and wall thickness on the tank sloshing behavior. The numerical results show good agreement with the experimental data. This study provides fundamental reference data of sloshing behavior in elastic tanks, which also provides a reference for the design and safety evaluation of flexible liquid tanks.