Slosh and Vibration Test for Aircraft External Fuel Tank

During flight, a significant load is applied on the internal components of the external fuel tank owing to fuel slosh and engine vibration. In severe situations, the slosh load and vibration can damage or malfunction main components, and adversely affect the safety of the aircraft as well as the survival of the crew. Therefore, components such as an external fuel tank are mounted on an aircraft after the structural integrity is verified. In this paper, a qualification test is conducted to verify the structural integrity of the external fuel tank against sloshing and vibration conditions. The test requirements, test procedure, and equipment used in the test are described in the main text. Subsequently, the structural integrity of the test fixture fixing the test specimen is verified through vibration analysis. During the test, the internal pressure of the test specimen and excitation frequency are monitored to check whether the test conditions are satisfied. From the test results, the satisfaction of the test requirements is confirmed through the analysis of the accelerometer data, the leakage check through the pressure test, and the disassembly inspection.