Self-adaptive penalty approach as an alternative technique for lateral load analysis of framed type elevated water tank stagings

Abstract

Elevated water tanks are vulnerable to lateral loads since heavy mass is concentrated at the top of the slender supporting staging. For the prediction of lateral loads due to earthquakes fundamental time period of tank stagings is essential because it influences the value of the acceleration coefficient from the response spectrum graph. Time period in turn depends on the lateral stiffness of the framed type tank staging. Staging in elevated water tanks is more flexible to lateral loads up to top panel and behaves rigidly above it due to rigid connection of heavy mass which is placed over top of the staging with massive ring girder and monolithic connection of side wall and bottom slab. This rigid behavior will establish kinematic relations among the top nodal points of the staging with container when subjected to lateral loads. The rigid nature of the container and its lateral movement can be stared with the lateral movement of the centre of gravity of the container. Hence, in order to obtain optimum ideal behavior of the staging, centre of gravity of the container connected with top panel top nodal points of the staging with rigid links in the mathematical model. In the current study, Stiffness of the staging is being evaluated by kinematic relations between the centre of gravity point and the top nodal points of the staging using the penalty function approach. Appropriate penalty parameters are identified and have been applied to the elevated water tank staging with different configurations. This approach is much more precise, and it may be employed to design elevated water tank staging.