Patel et al.

, International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945

Research Paper
SLOSHING RESPONSE OF ELEVATED WATER TANK OVER
ALTERNATE COLUMN PROPORTIONALITY
1
Chirag N. Patel, Shashi N. Vaghela, H. S. Patel

Address for Correspondence

Ph.D. Candidate, Faculty of Engineering, 1Pacific Academy of Higher Education and Research University,
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
2
P.G. Student, 3Associate Professor, Applied Mechanics Department, L. D. College of Engineering Ahmedabad,
Gujarat, India
ABSTRACT
Elevated water tanks are commonly used for storing water in public water distribution system and it should be competent of
keeping the expected performance during and after earthquake. It has large mass concentrated at the top of slender
supporting structure and hence extremely vulnerable against horizontal forces due to earthquake. They must be functional
even after earthquakes to ensure water supply is available in earthquake-affected regions. A dynamic analysis of such tanks
must take into account the motion of the water relative to the tank. For certain proportions of the tank and the structure the
sloshing of the water may be the dominant factor, whereas for other proportions the sloshing may have small effect.
Therefore, an understanding of the earthquake damage, or survival, of elevated water tanks requires an understanding of the
dynamic forces associated with the sloshing water. The main aim of this study is to understand the seismic behaviour of the
elevated water tank under alternate column proportionality under different time history records using finite element software
SAP 2000. It considered water as two mass idealizations suggested by Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority
(GSDMA) guideline. The present work aims at checking the adequacy of water tank for the seismic excitations. The result
shows that the structure responses are exceedingly influenced by different column proportionality and earthquake
characteristics. The responses include sloshing displacement under the four different time-history have been compared and
contrasted.
KEYWORDS: Water tank; Seismic Analysis; Sloshing displacement; Staging; Fluid structure interaction; SAP 2000.
INTRODUCTION may be quite different. For certain proportions of the
Water is essential to humans and other life forms. tank and the structure the sloshing of the water may
Supply of drinking water is essential immediately be the dominant factor, whereas for other proportions
after destructive earthquakes. Without assured water the sloshing may have small effect. Therefore, an
supply, the uncontrolled fires subsequent to major understanding of the earthquake damage, or survival,
earthquakes may cause more damage than the of elevated water tanks requires an understanding of
earthquakes themselves. So the water supply system the dynamic forces associated with the sloshing
should be designed as seismic resistant and seismic water.
performance of water tanks draws special Most of the previous studies were focused on the tank
significance in the design. Generally, to store the containing liquid considering only one mass and it
water different types of structures are used like; does not cover important aspect for analysis and
underground, ground supported and elevated water design of water tanks related to the effect of
tanks. Elevated water tank is a structure which is hydrodynamic pressure of the water, which produce
constructed at a sufficient height to cover a large area due to vibration of tank when earthquake strikes. But
for the supply of water. The performance of elevated after the Bhuj earthquake, revision of current Indian
water tanks during earthquakes is of much interest to code became inevitable. Hence, it was decided to
engineers, not only because of the importance of develop guidelines under the project “Review of
these tanks in controlling fires, but also because the Building codes and preparation of Commentary and
simple structure of an elevated tank is relatively easy Handbooks” assigned by the Gujarat State Disaster
to analyse and, hence, the study of tanks can be Management Authority (GSDMA), Gandhinagar to
informative as to the behaviour of structures during the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 2003
earthquakes. . In the past earthquakes including Bhuj [1]. The stimulus of the present study is to understand
earthquake of 26 January 2001, damages had been the behaviour of different supporting system of
observed widely in the support structures, which is elevated water tank, under alternate column
typical of the damage sustained to a large number of proportionality and acceleration time history records
water tanks of capacities ranging from 80 m3 to 1,000 of different characteristics. Also, impulsive and
m3 and as far away as 125 km from the epicentre convective water masses inside the container are
(Rai, 2001). During the Chilean earthquakes of May, taking in to consideration and modelled with FE
1960 a number of elevated water tanks were badly software SAP2000 [3].
damaged as described in a companion paper by K. V. MODEL PROVISIONS
Steinbrugge and R. Flores. Other elevated water A satisfactory spring mass analogue to characterize
tanks survived without damage, as described in a basic dynamics for two mass model of elevated tank
companion paper by W. K. Cloud. A dynamic was proposed by Housner (1963) after the chileane
analysis of such tanks must take into account the earthquake of 1960, which is more appropriate and is
motion of the water relative to the tank. If a closed being commonly used in most of the international
tank is completely full of water or completely empty, codes including GSDMA guideline. During lateral
it is essentially a one-mass structure. If, as is usual, mode of shaking of the water tank, a upper part of the
the tank has a free water surface there will be water moves in a long period sloshing motion, while
sloshing of the water during an earthquake and this the rest part moves rigidly with the tank wall. The
makes the tank essentially a two-mass structure. In former one is recognized as convective mass of water
this case, the dynamic behaviour of an elevated tank which exerts convective hydrodynamic pressure on

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 Patel et al., International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology
tank wall and base, while the latter part is known as
impulsive mass of water which accelerates along with
the wall and induces impulsive hydrodynamic
pressure on tank wall. The impulsive mass of water
experiences the same acceleration as the tank
container and contributes predominantly to the base
shear and overturning moment. In spring mass model
convective mass (mc) is attached to the tank wall by
the spring having stiffness (Kc), whereas impulsive
mass (mi) is rigidly attached to tank wall. For
elevated tanks two-mass model is considered, which
consists of two degrees of freedom system. Spring
mass model can also be applied on elevated tanks,
but two-mass model idealization is closer to reality.
The two- mass model is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Two mass model for elevated tank
The two-mass model was first proposed by G. M.
Housner (1963) and is being commonly used in most
of the international codes. However, for most of
elevated tanks it is observed that both the time
periods are well separated. Hence, the two-mass
idealization can be treated as two uncoupled single
degree of freedom system as shown in Figure 1 (b).
The stiffness (Ks) is lateral stiffness of staging. The
mass (ms) is the structural mass and shall comprise of
mass of tank container and one-third mass of staging
as staging will acts like a lateral spring. Staging part
of elevated water tanks follows the provisions given
by Criteria for design of RCC staging for overhead
water tanks (First revision of IS 11682): Draft Code
[2].
Fluid-Structure Interaction
During lateral base excitation seismic ground
acceleration causes hydrodynamic pressure on the
tank wall which depends on the geometry of tank,
height of liquid, properties of liquid and fluid-tank
interaction. Proper estimation of hydrodynamic
pressure requires a rigorous fluid-structure interaction
analysis. In the mechanical analogue of tank-liquid
system, the liquid is divided in two parts as,
impulsive liquid and convective liquid. The
impulsive liquid moves along with the tank wall, as it
is rigidly connected and the convective and sloshing
liquid moves relative to tank wall as it under goes
sloshing motion. This mechanical model is quantified
in terms of impulsive mass, convective mass, and
flexibility of convective liquid. Housner (1963)
developed the expressions for these parameters of
mechanical analogue for circular and rectangular
tanks. Some researchers have attempted numerical
study for tanks of other shapes (Joshi, 2000 and
Damatty, 2000). There are some experimental studies
on the effect of obstructions on the sloshing
frequency (Kimura et al. 1995, Armenio 1996, and
Reed et al. 1998).Fluid–structure interaction
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E-ISSN 0976-3945
problems can be investigated by various approaches
such as added mass approach (Westergaard, 1931 [5];
Barton and Parker, 1987), the Eulerian approach
(Zienkiewicz and Bettes, 1978), the Lagrangian
approach (Wilson and Khalvati, 1983; Olson and
Bathe, 1983) or the Eulerian–Lagrangian approach
(Donea et al., 1982). The simplest method of these is
the added mass approach as shown in Figure 2,can be
investigated using some of conventional FEM
software such as SAP2000, STAAD Pro and LUSAS.
The general equation of motion for a system
subjected to an earthquake excitation can be written
as,
‫ݑܯ‬ሷ ൅ ‫ݑܥ‬ሶ ൅ ‫ ݑܭ‬ൌ െ‫ݑܯ‬ሷ ௚ . . . . . . . . (1)
In which M, C and K are mass, damping and stiffness
matrices,‫ݑ‬ሷ ,‫ݑ‬ሶ and‫ݑ‬are the acceleration, velocity and
displacement respectively, and is the ground
acceleration. In the case of added mass approach the
form of equation (1) become as below:
‫ݑ כܯ‬ሷ ൅ ‫ݑܥ‬ሶ ൅ ‫ ݑܭ‬ൌ െ‫ݑ כܯ‬ሷ ௚ . . . . . . . . (2)
In which M* is the new mass matrix after adding
hydrodynamic mass to the structural mass, while the
damping and stiffness matrices are same as in
equation (1).
Figure 2. FEM model for fluid-strucutre-
interaction added mass approach
Figure 3. (a) Westergaard added mass concept (b)
normal and cartesian directions.
Westergaard Model’s method was originally
developed for the dams but it can be applied to other
hydraulic structure, under earthquake loads i.e. tank.
In this paper the impulsive mass has been obtained
according to GSDMA guideline technique and is
added to the tanks walls according to Westergaard
Approach as shown in Figure 3 using equation 3.
Where, ߩ is the mass density, ݄ is the depth of water
and ‫ܣ‬௜ is the area of curvilinear surface.
଻
݉௔௜ ൌ ቂ ߩඥ݄ሺ݄ െ ‫ݕ‬௜ ሻቃ ‫ܣ‬௜ . . . . . . . . (3)
଼
Problem description
The frame type is the most commonly used staging in
practice. The main components of frame type of
staging are columns and braces. In frame staging,
columns are arranged on the periphery and it is
connected internally by bracing at various levels. The
staging is acting like a bridge between container and
foundation for the transfer of loads acting on the
tank. In elevated water tanks, head requirement for
distribution of water is satisfied by adjusting the
height of the staging portion. Different types of
column pattern are used for water tank .The geometry
 Patel et al., International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN
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0976-3945
of column is also the important part to understand the as shown in Table 3,withacceleration
,withacceleration transverse
behaviour of tank. A reinforced elevated water tank component of four earthquakes as shown in Figure 4.
with different types of column system with full water Table2.Column dimension considering different
level in the container has been considered for the panel and pattern
present study. The storage capacity of water tank is
1000 m3.Finite
Finite element model of elevated water tank
is prepared in SAP2000. Columns and bracings
b in the
frame type support system are modelled as frame
elements (with six degrees of freedom per node).
Conical part, bottom and top domes and container
walls are modelled with thin shell elements (with
four nodes and six degrees of freedom per node).
Other dimensions of the elevated tanks are illustrated
in Table 1.
Structural Data for Basic Frame Type
Table 1.Structural
Staging
Capacity of the tank 1000 m3
Unit weight of concrete 25 kN/m3
Thickness of Top Dome 0.15 m
Rise of Top Dome 2.2 m
Size of Top Ring Beam 0.35 m × 0.35 m
Diameter of tank 13.6 m
Height of Cylindrical wall 6.8 m
Thickness of Cylindrical wall 0.33 m
Size of Middle Ring Beam 1.2 m × 0.6 m
Rise of Concal dome 2.35 m
Thickness of Conical shell 0.5 m
Rise of Bottom dome 1.6 m
Thickness of Bottom dome shell 0.2 m
Number of Columns 8
Size of Bracing 0.5 m × 0.5 m
Size of Bottom Circular Girder 1 m × 1.2 m
Distance between intermidiate bracing 4m
Height of Staging above Foundation 16 m
The configuration of staging is nothing but the Figure 4. Acceleration transverse component of
arrangements of columns and bracings in particular earthquake
pattern. The orientation and section of column is also Table 2. Properties of Earthquake records
important in deciding the configuration for staging
[4].. Several types of configuration can generate by
changing the arrangement and pattern of columns.In
the present study three types of shapes have been
considered like circular,, square and rectangle. In
rectangular type of column different two type of
arrangement are considered in line of outer periphery
and perpendicular to outer periphery named as
rect_wide and rect_deep respectively. The RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
arrangement of column on outer periphery of staging In this study, a reinforced elevated water tank with
is as shown in Figure 4. The dimension of the 1000 m3 capacity and supported by fixed base frame
different type of column on outer periphery of type staging system with different column
staging with variation in panel is shown in Table 2. proportionality has been conside considered. With
considering two-massmass water model, seismic
responses including sloshing displacement and
displacement of tank at various locations from
bottom to top were assessed under four earthquake
records. The seismic responses of tank have been
determined using time history analysis in three cases,
i.e. 3-panel, 4-panel, 5-panel. The result of sloshing
displacement under various timee history records are
shown in Table ble 4. Figure 5 shows the graph
containing Sloshing displacement for different
column proportionality and time history records
records. The
Figure 4.Arrangement
rrangement of different type of column obtained results are summarized as follows:
on outer periphery of staging • The critical response depends on the
Total four numbers of earthquake records were used; earthquake characteristics and particularly
the maximum PGA on the basis of acceleration frequency content of earthquake records.
gravity for Imperial Valley (El Centro) (1979), • Sloshing displacement is increase with the
Northridge (1994), Kobe (1995) and Loma Prieta increase in the panel number and increase
(1989) are 0.314, 0.410, 0.509 and 0.644 against high frequency earthquake.
respectively. Properties of recorded earthquakes are

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 Patel et al., International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology E-ISSN 0976-3945
• Rect_deep type of column staging value of
sloshing displacement remains high compare
to other types.
• Rect_wide type of column staging value of
sloshing displacement remains lower
compare to other types.
• Sloshing displacement has been increase
towards higher number of panels, and it is in
majority cases higher in rect_deep type of
staging pattern.
• Amongst all type of column proportionality,
rect_wide has been proving highly
competitive to with stand against sloshing
displacement under different earthquake
characteristics.
Table 4.Sloshing displacement for different panel
wise column proportionality and time history
records

Figure 5.Sloshing Displacement variation with

different panel wise column proportionality and
time history records
REFERENCES
1. IITK-GSDMA Guidelines for Seismic Design of
Liquid Storage Tanks Provisions with commentary
and explanatory examples, 2003.
2. Preliminary Draft code IS 11682:1985, “Criteria for
Design of RCC Staging for Overhead Water Tanks”,
Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi, June 2011.
3. “Structural Analysis Program SAP2000. “ User’s
manual, Computers and Structures, Inc., Berkeley,
Calif.
4. R.K.Ingle,” Proportioning of columns for water tank
supported structures”, The Indian Concrete Journal,
April 1999, pg. 255-257.
5. Gareane A. I. Algreane et al., “Behaviour of
Elevated Concrete Water Tank Subjected to
Artificial Ground Motion”, EJGE, Vol. 16, 2011.

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