Seismic Strengthening of Johnstown Tank in Lakeside, California

by Medhat Haroun, Univ of California, Irvine, United States,
Mark Pierepiekarz, Univ of California, Irvine, United States,
John Shipp, Univ of California, Irvine, United States,
Michael Brown, Univ of California, Irvine, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Structural Engineering in Natural Hazards Mitigation

Abstract:

Seismic overturning moments exerted on liquid storage tanks may be resisted by a system of anchor bolts if the shell could be adequately anchored to its base, or by allowing the base plate to lift off the foundation to pick up the stabilizing weight of a liquid column if the shell is unanchored. For a certain class of tanks, such as the 2.5 million gallon Johnstown tank, the overturning moment generated by seismic forces could not be resisted by a practical system of rock anchors alone or by the uplift of the unanchored shell alone. This paper presents an innovative procedure for seismic strengthening of this tank by allowing both systems of resistance to be utilized. The anchors resist the liquid-exerted overturning moment up to their yield, afterwards the shell lifts off its foundation to pick up further resistance from the contained liquid.

Subject Headings: Storage tanks | Seismic tests | Shell structures | Seismic design | Anchors | Seismic effects | Moment (mechanics) | California | United States

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