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.
Seismic Performance of Storage Steel Tanks during the May 2012 Emilia, Italy, Earthquakes
Downloaded 373 times
Technical Papers
Seismic Performance of Storage Steel Tanks during the May 2012 Emilia, Italy, Earthquakes
Abstract
Access content
Please select your options to get access-
Personal login
- Register for access
-
ASCE Members: To see member pricing, log in or confirm your ASCE membership number in My Profile
Purchase Save for later Item saved, go to cartInformation on ASCE Library Cards
An ASCE Library Card allows you to download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library collection. This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.Information on ASCE Library Card >-
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads) $85.00 Add to cart ASCE Library Card (5 downloads) Proceed to checkout
-
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads) $220.00 Add to cart ASCE Library Card (20 downloads) Proceed to checkout
-
Journal of Structural EngineeringApril 1998
Journal of Performance of Constructed FacilitiesSeptember 2014
Authors
Ph.D. Student, ROSE Programme, UME School, IUSS Pavia, Institute for Advanced Study, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy (corresponding author). E-mail: emanuele.brunesi@eucentre.it
EUCENTRE, European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy. E-mail: roberto.nascimbene@eucentre.it
Hazard Team, GEM Foundation, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy. E-mail: marco.pagani@globalquakemodel.org
M.Sc. Student, ROSE Programme, UME School, IUSS Pavia, Institute for Advanced Study, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy. E-mail: dumitru.beilic@umeschool.it
Received: March 19, 2014
Accepted: May 12, 2014
Published online: September 12, 2014
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers
