Collapse Mechanism of Reinforced Concrete Superlarge Cooling Towers Subjected to Strong Winds
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 31, Issue 6
Abstract
This paper presents a numerical simulation on the collapse behavior and structural stability of a reinforced concrete superlarge cooling tower subjected to strong winds. Results demonstrated that the cooling tower locally collapsed inward because of a loss of material strength rather than loss of stability. The critical wind pressure corresponding to material failure was far less than that corresponding to buckling, according to elastic stability analysis. Finally, a parametric analysis was conducted to investigate the influence of design parameters on the wind-resistant performance of the tower, including the thickness of the shell structure as well as the concrete cover, reinforcement space of the shell structure, and reinforcement ratio of the shell structure. The research presented in this paper can help to clarify the collapse mechanism of superlarge cooling towers and contribute to the improved design of future towers.
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Acknowledgments
This study was financially supported by the National High-tech R&D Program of China (863 Program) (2012AA050903).
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Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 31 • Issue 6 • December 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 12, 2016
Accepted: May 12, 2017
Published online: Aug 31, 2017
Published in print: Dec 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Jan 31, 2018
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