| Abstract: | Local uplift of the tank wall is perhaps the most important characteristic of the seismic behaviour of unanchored liquid storage tanks made out of steel. Such uplift is necessary, because unanchored tanks rely primarily on the weight of the liquid resting on an uplifted portion of the base plate to balance the overturning moments that occur during strong shaking. A simplified method of analysis for static lateral loads is developed, based on the assumption that the restraining action of the base plate can be modelled with equivalent, non-linear springs. This assumption, together with a Fourier decomposition of the displacements, simplifies the problem to the extent that it can be solved on a personal computer. The solutions are compared with those from experiments and those from current U.S. design analysis methods. |
