General Elastic Analysis on Atmospheric Liquid Storage Tank

Abstract A study is presented to analyze atmospheric liquid storage tank using the general elasticity theory. The tank is modeled as axisymmetric structure with a cylindrical wall and a flat floor at bottom subject to hydrostatic pressure. Deformation is derived from the complete solution form of the governing differential equation. Different boundary conditions at the bottom of tank wall, including free, fixed, and elastic, are examined. The corner joint between the tank wall and floor is investigated using elastic plate theory. Equivalent torsional and radial springs at the corner joint are generated as the elastic constraints for the tank wall. Further, the solution equation is expanded for the general condition of tank wall, which consists of multiple shell courses with different thicknesses. The expanded solution equations are obtained using the compatibility conditions by assuming continuity and smoothness between adjacent shell courses in equilibrium state. In addition, the equations are transformed into modular matrix equation form for each pair of adjacent shell courses, and the top or bottom constraints of the tank wall. All modular matrix equations are assembled to form the complete matrix equation for the entire tank wall for computational implementation.