Abstract

Cylindrical liquid storage tanks are widely used in various industries such as water storage, fuel and chemicals. Failure of fuel tanks, especially in refineries, can lead to terrible and uncontrollable fires, as well as destructive environmental effects. Ground cylindrical steel fluid storage tanks are widely used in different industries. Regarding the significance of these structures, ensuring the proper performance of such structures in earthquakes needs evaluating their seismic performance. The present study examines the seismic behavior of an unanchored fluid storage system via ABAQUS after validation using an experimental model. Next, the uplift of the bottom sheet is studied using the accelerogram records of the 1940 El Centro and 1994 Northridge earthquakes. The overturning moment time history of the fluid storage system and the maximum overturning moments were obtained to identify their behavior. The results indicated that not bracing storage tanks leads to the uplift phenomenon. Finally, the maximum axial stress of the storage tank shell was compared with the values recommended in the construction codes to control the buckling.

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