Seismic Performance of Storage Steel Tanks during the May 2012 Emilia, Italy, Earthquakes
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 29, Issue 5
Abstract
Field observations following the May 2012 Emilia, Italy, earthquakes have revealed the seismic vulnerability of storage steel tanks typical of the past Italian design practice, highlighting structural deficiencies observed during previous events in other areas and mostly related to lack of structural seismic design and detailing, lack of redundancy, and inadequate anchorage design and execution. Damage was disproportionately high, considering the moderate size of the events ( and on 20th and 29th May, respectively). Failure modes observed are reported and classified. Comparison is provided with the results of high-definition finite element (FE) dynamic simulations, performed on tanks representative of those inspected. Numerical analyses, accounting for material and geometrical nonlinearities, at the element level, as well as for fluid-structure interaction through highly nonlinear methods, were able to capture the stress/strain concentrations that caused them to collapse. Elephant’s foot and diamond buckling induced by hydrodynamic pressures as a result of inertial forces imparted during the earthquakes were reproduced, as well as shear-buckling failure of leg-supported tanks or sliding of unanchored systems.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 29 • Issue 5 • October 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 19, 2014
Accepted: May 12, 2014
Published online: Sep 12, 2014
Discussion open until: Feb 12, 2015
Published in print: Oct 1, 2015
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