Experimental Study of Near-Fault Effect on Sloshing Mode of Storage Liquid in Tanks

Abstract

The long period velocity pulse is recognized as one of the characteristics of near-fault ground motions, and hence the response of vibration modes with lower frequencies will be amplified owing to the resonant effect. In general, the sloshing frequency of storage liquid is low and the period is similar to the pulse period of near-fault ground motions. Compared to the far-field ground motions, the induced sloshing height will be amplified by the near-fault ground motions. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to the resonant effect of near-fault ground motions on the sloshing mode of storage liquid in tanks. An experiment was implemented to study the resonant response of sloshing mode. The purpose of this experiment is to estimate the slosh height and the associated total volume of water splashing out of the tank under near-fault ground motions, and also to determine the relationship between the resonant response and the input velocity pulse. This paper aims to describe the test plan in detail, and it consists of (1) design of the scaled storage tank and water depth, (2) selection and processing of the input motions including the original near-fault ground motions, extracted velocity pulse or extracted bandpass signals for resonance analysis, and also impulse motion for free vibration, (3) setup of measure instrument, and (4) the experimental procedures as well. Preliminary analysis results are compared with the code-specified values that is determined by the industrial standards and guidelines for general seismic conditions. It is noted that the proposed prediction equation can be applied to the seismic design and evaluation of spent fuel pool in nuclear power plants.