Analysis of fluid storage tanks including foundation-superstructure interaction (Q1323704)

An analytical formulation is developed to predict the flexural behavior of a cylindrical liquid storage tank resting on an isotropic elastic soil medium, which is modelled as a half-space. The interface between the plate foundation and the soil medium is considered to be smooth and continuous. The plate deflection function is assumed in the form of a power series expansion in terms of the radial coordinate. The procedure accounts for the interactions between the tank wall and the plate foundation, and between the plate foundation and the soil medium. The principle of minimum potential energy is used to evaluate the unknown coefficients appearing in the assumed power series expansion and also the unknown interaction forces at the tank wall-plate foundation junction.