AWWA EDC52045

The design of bolted steel water storage tanks is based on provisions of AWWA Standard D103. Criteria are established to ensure reliable performance and continued operation under expected seismic loading conditions. Damage to tanks and other structures in recent earthquakes, and the prevalence of tanks in areas of high seismic risk have sparked renewed interest in earthquake resistant design. Damage to tanks consists of shell/roof damage, failure of anchor bolts and pipe connections, and shell-base deformation or 'elephants foot' buckling. Most of these types of failure are caused by seismic overturning movement from the hydrodynamic pressures exerted from the fluid. Although the economic loss of tank damage is comparatively low, the value of the performance of tanks for water supply and fire suppression during a large scale earthquake can be significant. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the static and dynamic behavior of ground level, bolted steel water storage tanks and the parameters of importance to design. Includes 8 references, figures, appendix.