Strain measurements in baffles of high-density polyethylene mobile water tanks

A. C. Seibi*, T. Pervez

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The sloshing effect on water tanks in delivery trucks is creating sever load on the tank walls and baffles which eventually results in premature failure of the baffle. These tanks are made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and is, to give it a head start, light weight, high strength and highly corrosion resistant. In the tests, which were simulated in a laboratory, the tanks were filled with different water levels and measured for their strains. The estimate on the trailer/truck system acceleration was determined by measuring the duration at which the system hits the wall after being released from its initial position as well as using the work energy method. The estimate was done on two dead weights. Results show that the acceleration decreases as the water level in the tank increases for both dead weights but the magnitude of acceleration is lower for smaller dead weight. A strain gage was not responding in all runs while the for the rest of the gages, they exhibited an oscillatory response caused by water sloshing within the tank because of the impact. A peak was revealed in all impact and continue to oscillate with reducing ranges until they become steady. Meanwhile, the difference in maximum acceleration for two dead weights is negligibly small when the tank is half filled but the difference increases when the tank is 75% filled. As such, the baffle response becomes critical when the tank is filled with water higher than 75%.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)37-41
Number of pages5
JournalExperimental Techniques
Volume31
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2007

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering

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