Impact response of a partially filled fuel tank subjected to high-velocity projectiles

This study investigates the effects of baffles and various other design changes on a partially filled fuel tank subjected to high-velocity projectile impact. Modelling of the tank filled with water is done using ANSYS software. The Eulerian domain is used to analyse water, whereas the Lagrangian domain is used to assess the tank and bullet. The developed finite element model is verified with available results in the literature. The effect of design parameters like edge fillet, number of baffles, thickness of baffles, orientation of baffles, height of baffles, position of the projectile and projectile speed on the impact responses of the fuel tank is studied. From the analysis results, it could be observed that the edge fillet provided the minimum stress due to the lower stress concentration on the fuel tank, but it was not effective in decreasing the velocity of the projectile. Therefore, the baffles are introduced inside the fuel tanks, which are highly effective in reducing the velocity and generating huge stress on the tanks. The velocity and position of the projectiles are also varied to understand their effect on the fuel tank.