Analysis of Base Isolated Liquid Storage Tanks With 3D Fluid Structure Interaction Analysis as Well as Simplified Approaches

Abstract eng:
Tanks are preferably designed, for cost-saving reasons, as circular, cylindrical, thin-walled shells. In case of seismic excitation, these constructions are highly vulnerable to stability failures. An earthquake-resistant design of rigidly supported tanks for high seismic loading demands, however, uneconomic wall thicknesses. A cost-effective alternative can be provided by base isolation systems. In this paper, a simplified seismic design procedure for base isolated tanks is introduced, by appropriately modifying the standard mechanical model for flexible, rigidly supported tanks. The non-linear behavior of conventional base isolation systems becomes an integral part of a proposed simplified process, which enables the assessment of the reduced hydrodynamic forces acting on the tank walls and the corresponding stress distribution. The impulsive and convective actions of the liquid are taken into account. The validity of this approach is evaluated by employing a non-linear fluid-structure interaction algorithm of finite element method. Special focus is placed on the boundary conditions imposed from the base isolation and the resulting hydrodynamic pressures. Both horizontal and vertical component of ground motion are considered in order to study the principal effects of the base isolation on the pressure distribution of the tank walls. The induced rocking effects associated with elastomeric bearings are discussed. The results manifest that base isolated tanks can be designed for seismic loads by means of the proposed procedure with sufficient accuracy, allowing to dispense with numerically expensive techniques.

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket