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ARTICLE

Numerical Investigation of Load Generation in U-Shaped Aqueducts under Lateral Excitation: Part II—Non-Resonant Sloshing

Yang Dou¹, Hao Qin¹, Yuzhi Zhang^1,2, Ning Wang¹, Haiqing Liu^3,4, Wanli Yang^1,2,4,*

1 Department of Bridge Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China
2 Aseismic Engineering Technology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, 610031, China
3 Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Coal Resources Green Mining, Ministry of Education, Urumqi, 830023, China
4 Xinjiang Institute of Engineering, Urumqi, 860023, China

* Corresponding Author: Wanli Yang. Email:

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2025, 21(12), 3091-3122. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2025.070082

Received 07 July 2025; Accepted 21 December 2025; Issue published 31 December 2025

Abstract

In recent years, tuned liquid dampers (TLDs) have emerged as a focal point of research due to their remarkable potential for structural vibration mitigation. Yet, progress in this field remains constrained by an incomplete understanding of the fundamental mechanisms governing sloshing-induced loads in liquid-filled containers. Aqueducts present a distinctive case, as the capacity of their contained water to function effectively as a TLD remains uncertain. To address this gap, the present study investigates the generation mechanisms of sloshing loads under non-resonant cases through a two-dimensional (2D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model developed in ANSYS Fluent. The incompressible Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations are solved, while the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method captures the evolution of the air–water interface. Turbulent flow behavior is modeled using the RNG k - ε approach. The ensuing results reveal the dynamic characteristics of the horizontal force ( F h ) and the fluctuating component of the vertical force ( F v f ). F h is predominantly governed by the inertia of the deep-water region and its phase varies coherently with the aqueduct’s acceleration. With increasing excitation amplitude ( A ) and frequency ( f ), the contribution of deep-water inertia to F h intensifies markedly, accounting for 82.6–92.1% of the total horizontal load at an excitation amplitude of 0.15 m and frequencies of 1.0–1.6 Hz. The extreme values of F v f arise primarily from asymmetric static pressures induced by free-surface fluctuations, which are further amplified when wall gaps appear at large amplitudes ( A ≥ 10 cm) and high frequencies ( f ≥ 1.4 Hz). Unlike resonant cases dominated by free-surface resonance, non-resonant sloshing loads are principally driven by deep-water inertia and motion-induced surface asymmetry.

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