Abstract
The present study proposes a wind force coefficient model for designing open-topped oil-storage tanks in various arrangements. In our previous paper, we proposed a model for isolated tanks. However, in practice, more than two tanks are constructed in various arrangements. In such cases, the wind force distributions may be different from those for isolated tanks. As a result, the buckling behavior of tanks may be affected by the arrangement, significantly. Therefore, focus is on the relationship between wind force distribution and buckling behavior in the present paper. Wind tunnel experiments are carried out to measure the wind pressure distributions on the tanks. A CFD analysis is also carried out to investigate the wind flow around the tanks in more detail. The effect of wind force distribution on the buckling is discussed based on a non-linear buckling analysis. The results indicate that the positive wind force distribution in the windward region affects the buckling behavior, significantly. Finally, we propose a model of wind force coefficient distribution on the tanks by modifying the distribution that we proposed for isolated tanks.
