Dynamic analysis of liquid storage tanks with sliding systems

Abstract

Dynamic response of liquid storage tanks isolated by the sliding systems is investigated under real earthquake ground motion. The frictional force of sliding systems is modelled by conventional and hysteretic models. The continuous liquid mass is lumped as convective mass, impulsive mass and rigid mass. The corresponding stiffness associated with these lumped masses is worked out depending upon the properties of the tank wall and liquid mass. The governing equations of motion of the tank with sliding system are derived and solved by Newmark's step-by-step method with iterations. The frictional force mobilized at the interface of the sliding system is assumed to be velocity dependent. For comparative study, the seismic response of isolated liquid storage tank obtained by the conventional model is compared with the corresponding response obtained by the hysteretic model. In order to measure the effectiveness of isolation system, the seismic response of isolated tank is compared with that of the non-isolated tank. A parametric study is also conducted to study the effects of aspect ratio of tank on the effectiveness of seismic isolation of liquid storage tanks. It is found that the sliding systems are quite effective in reducing the earthquake response of liquid storage tanks. In addition, the conventional and the hysteretic model of the sliding system predict the same seismic response of liquid storage tanks. However, the conventional model is relatively more computationally efficient as compared to the hysteretic model.