Abstract
Two tank explosions simultaneously occurred at a salt water disposal facility in Lamesa, Texas on May 15, 2009. One tank launched as a skyrocket, and the roof plate separated and flew in the other tank at the explosion. The frangible roof joint is designed so that the strength of the sidewall-to-roof joint is weaker than that of the sidewall-to-bottom joint under overpressurization in aboveground oil storage tanks. This rule did not perform as intended in the tank which launched. This paper presents a consideration on the frangible roof joint design due to the tank explosion.
