Wind loads for designing cylindrical storage tanks part 1 characteristics of wind pressure and force distributions

Abstract

The characteristics of wind pressures and forces on cylindrical storage tanks, such as oil-storage tanks, have been investigated based on a series of wind tunnel experiments. Focus is on open-topped tanks. In the experiments, the wind pressures were measured simultaneously at many points both on the external and internal surfaces of rigid models with aspect ratios of 0.25 to 1.0 in a turbulent boundary layer. The time-space correlation of pressures was discussed based on the results of correlation coefficients, power spectra and so on. A POD analysis was also employed to investigate the structure of pressure field on the surfaces. Furthermore, a conditional sampling of pressures was made for investigating the pressure distribution at an instant when the external wind pressure at a reference point, roughly corresponding to the windward stagnation point, became the maximum peak value. A discussion is made of the wind force coefficients for designing open-topped tanks.