Dynamic Response of Rectangular Flexible Fluid Containers

Analytic solution methods are developed that can be used to evaluate dynamic response characteristics of partially filled flexible rectangular fluid containers under horizontal or vertical ground excitation. Fluid-structure interaction effects on the dynamic responses of partially filled fluid containers are taken into account incorporating wall flexibility. The containers are assumed fixed to the rigid ground. Solutions based on three-dimensional modeling of the rectangular containers are obtained by applying the Rayleigh-Ritz method using assumed vibration modes of rectangular plate with suitable boundary conditions as admissible functions. Solutions by the present two-dimensional analysis method are compared well with those by a coupled boundary-element/finite-element method. Dynamic responses of twoand three-dimensional models are calculated by the proposed methods in time domain and the effects of three-dimensional geometry on the responses are investigated. Variation of dynamic response characteristics with respect to the length to height ratio of the flexible wall is studied. The effect of wall flexibility on the sloshing response is investigated.