A cylindrical tank-foundation-halfspace interaction using an energy approach (Q1064876)

The interaction problem associated with a cylindrical storage tank- (plate) foundation system resting in frictionless contact on an isotropic halfspace is examined by using an energy formulation. The thin-plate and thin-shell theories are considered in describing the flexural behavior of the foundation and the tank wall, respectively. The tank is assumed to be rigidly connected to the foundation. A power series in terms of the radial coordinate is used to represent the deflected shape of the plate. A variational technique is utilized to obtain the deflections and flexural moments at any point on the plate. The effects of interaction between various components of the tank-(plate) foundation-halfspace system are investigated in detail. A parametric nondimensional study shows that factors such as the relative stiffness and location of the tank wall may result in a more economical design of the (plate) foundation.