| Abstract: | A Galerkin Finite Element formulation for the dynamic stability analysis of liquid-filled shells is given in this paper. The coupling among the axial and circumferential modes is investigated. The dynamic stability characteristics of two liquid-filled storage tanks subjected to vertical, horizontal and rocking seismic excitations are presented. It is shown that a tall tank tends to buckle at distinct frequencies; and for cos θ-type ground excitation, cos 2θ, cos 3θ and cos 4θ are the dominant modes of failure. On the other hand, in a broad tank, buckling regions overlap each other. In particular, for cos θ-type ground excitation, the dominant buckling modes are cos 6θ to cos 9θ, and also cos 12θ to cos 14θ. |
