Optimal shape of concrete tanks under seismic load considering soil-structure interaction

Abstract

Most water stations use concrete tanks to store water, and the tanks may be above or below ground level. In designing tanks, many engineering requirements are taken into account to ensure the structural safety of the tank and the absence of water leakage. The research aims to study the response of different shapes of concrete tanks (square, rectangular, circular, and hexagonal), that based on clay soil and subjected to an earthquake wave (type El Centro), by studying some engineering variables related to tanks and soil. ABAQUS program was used to analyze the tanks, and used different analysis cases like Dynamic Explicit, geotechnical and soil analysis. The study concluded that there are advantages and disadvantages for each of the studied shapes. It is preferable to use circular tanks because they have a high resistance to shear forces, bending moments, stresses, lateral strength, and have small soil consolidation compare with the other tanks, but the bad characteristic is that cracks are high. Also, It is also preferable to avoid using a rectangular tank due to its poor response to seismic loads.