Abstract
Sediments accumulate at the bottom of water distribution tanks, which are a component of
water supply systems. In this study, vibration experiments were conducted using a small rigid
water tank to confirm whether the sediments would be lifted by the water flow in the tanks when
sloshing occurs during an earthquake. Two types of experiments were conducted under the same
shaking conditions: one in which only tracers were placed in the tank to visualize the water flow
during sloshing, and the other in which sediments were placed in the tank to measure sediment
uplift and turbidity. When sloshing was excited by a sinusoidal wave with a first-order period of
the oscillation, it was confirmed that sediment began to rise at the bottom of the tank near the
side walls when the water level exceeded a certain level, and turbidity also increased. The
turbidity increase due to sediment rising reached a maximum with a time lag after the end of the
shaking.
