Abstract
This paper reports seismic response analyses about the spherical gas holder which requires higher safety focusing on the ultimate limit state of the level 2 earthquake. In the analysis, a gas holder and pile foundation are modeled in 3D condition to evaluate their interactive behavior more realistically using a soil-water coupled finite deformation analysis code GEOASIA.
As a result, in the holder to be analyzed this time, all the piles lose the bearing function, and the piles have an insignificant effect on the response of the holder. Therefore, the ultimate limit state, which we have considered the maximum unequal settlement in the past examination, is assumed considerably safe. Also, under the greatest possible earthquake condition with this holder, it is possible to almost fully evaluate the seismic performance of the ultimate limit state by 2D analysis. On another front, 3D analysis should be applied for non-uniform condition such as a substandard earthquake input and irregular surface layers. Furthermore, by using this analysis method, it is possible to evaluate the structural stability of the gas holder integrally.
