Numerical Simulation of Oil Tank Behavior Under Seismic Excitation. Fluid – Structure Interaction Problem Solution

The present paper is devoted to numerical simulation of sloshing inside a partially filled cylindrical thin-wall tank induced by seismic loads. During the calculations fluid structure interaction (FSI) problems are taken into account. The numerical simulations are performed for both linear (Lagrangian formulation – ANSYS Mechanical) and nonlinear (arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian formulation – ABAQUS/Explicit) conditions. Problem formulation, finite element discretization, simultaneous and partitioned solution procedures are discussed. As an example designed and/or already erected oil tank are considered. The results obtained are compared with an analytical solution and domestic code technique.