Cause of Deformed Shapes in Cooling Towers
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 120, Issue 5
Abstract
Field observation of damage on several old cooling towers poses the problem of their aging process. This latter may be a phenomenon linked not only with the deterioration of reinforced concrete as material, but also with possibility of buckling. The present study is an attempt to analyze and to interpret observed in‐situ deterioration by means of parametric digital calculations, using experimental results obtained in laboratory. The origin of the deformed shapes of the cooling towers that were analyzed is then identified. This analysis emphasizes the predominant role played by self‐weight in the mechanical behavior of the cooling towers. Self‐weight is the cause of the multimodal deformed shapes observed which were initiated during the construction phase. These same deformed shapes encourage cracking by initiation of a significant degree of local bending, particularly in the circumferential direction which causes meridional cracking; a phenomenon which has been corroborated by in‐situ observation.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 120 • Issue 5 • May 1994
Pages: 1471 - 1488
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 20, 1992
Published online: May 1, 1994
Published in print: May 1994
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