Integral force-based design approach for the seismic analysis and design of liquid storage tanks

Integral force-based design approach for the seismic analysis and design of liquid storage tanks | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Integral force-based design approach for the seismic analysis and design of liquid storage tanks Soumitra Chatterji, Christoph Butenweg, Sven Klinkel This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4874285/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Mar, 2025 Read the published version in Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering → Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Historical observations reveal that Liquid Storage Tanks (LST) have suffered significant earthquake-induced damages. The structural response of LST are sensitive to earthquakes due to dynamic fluid-tank interaction. Since designing with consideration of fluid-tank interaction in the time domain is complex, simplified calculation approaches have been developed to calculate base shear and overturning moments, but not pressure distributions. These approaches distinguish between flexible and rigid tanks, which is difficult to decide prior analysis. This paper presents an integral calculation concept that determines support reactions and pressure distributions independently of the tank's stiffness by applying static equivalent loads. The research focuses on the distinction between rigid and flexible design approaches, review existing codes, their limitations, and challenges associated with relative acceleration response spectra. It scrutinizes varying definitions of impulsive components and superposition principles. An integral force-based design approach is suggested that integrates rigid and flexible design principles into a unified method. The approach uses standardized pressure curves of individual hydrodynamic pressure components, linked with absolute and relative spectral accelerations and appropriate superposition methods. The integral formulation is validated through a previously conducted experimental and numerical research on above-ground steel tank. The validation and application of the integral approach forms the basis for the new generation of Eurocode prEN 1998-4, which is demonstrated for different tank geometries. The practical application is demonstrated on a squat and a slender tank using linear finite element (FE) model, and the results are compared with various approaches in the international standards and literature. liquid storage tanks relative acceleration spectra flexibility and rigidity integral approach Eurocode 8 Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Mar, 2025 Read the published version in Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Minor revisions needed 11 Jan, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Aug, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 08 Aug, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 08 Aug, 2024 First submitted to journal 07 Aug, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4874285","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":337667014,"identity":"b93ca7f0-62fa-4e16-b001-4540b10a5f79","order_by":0,"name":"Soumitra Chatterji","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2738-0499","institution":"RWTH Aachen: Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Soumitra","middleName":"","lastName":"Chatterji","suffix":""},{"id":337667015,"identity":"e9b0d3f6-815f-46c8-af80-23e01a5eaed7","order_by":1,"name":"Christoph Butenweg","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"RWTH Aachen University: Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Christoph","middleName":"","lastName":"Butenweg","suffix":""},{"id":337667016,"identity":"ea9ea063-2dc2-4bcb-9367-f4bdc2f7c991","order_by":2,"name":"Sven Klinkel","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"RWTH Aachen University: Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sven","middleName":"","lastName":"Klinkel","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-08-07 11:18:58","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4874285/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4874285/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-025-02135-8","type":"published","date":"2025-03-10T15:58:09+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":78689175,"identity":"8fa82464-ccfb-478e-aa92-54c6b51c0ee3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-17 16:12:15","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":9243685,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Chatterji2024.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4874285/v1_covered_d537ee20-791e-4cfa-9b48-2e66814410c3.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Integral force-based design approach for the seismic analysis and design of liquid storage tanks","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bulletin-of-earthquake-engineering","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"beee","sideBox":"Learn more about [Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering](https://www.springer.com/journal/10518)","snPcode":"10518","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10518/3","title":"Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"liquid storage tanks, relative acceleration spectra, flexibility and rigidity, integral approach, Eurocode 8","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4874285/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4874285/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Historical observations reveal that Liquid Storage Tanks (LST) have suffered significant earthquake-induced damages. 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