Seismic risk assessment of on-ground circular reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete water tanks using stochastic ground motion simulations

Abstract

This case-study is dedicated to the seismic risk assessment of cylindrical fixed-based reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete water tanks situated in Romania. The fixed-based water tanks are designed according to the current seismic design prescriptions in Romania. The six selected sites are all under the influence of the Vrancea intermediate-depth seismic source. The seismic performance is evaluated using site-specific ground motion stochastic simulations and using the approach given in Eurocode 8-4 (2006). The largest mean annual failure probabilities are obtained for the two sites (Amara and Bucharest) with the highest long-period spectral amplifications. The study shows that from the strength point of view, the two types of tanks have very small corresponding failure probabilities and from the serviceability point of view, depending on the type of the tank and its position, sloshing or cracking due to bending are the prevalent failure modes.