Analytical, numerical and experimental stress assessment of the spherical tank with large volume

Abstract

© 2015, Strojarski Facultet. All rights reserved. This paper presents designing of spherical tank using combination of analytical procedure with FEM analysis and experimental testing in order to minimize design time and verify design strength. Analytical procedure for calculation of the tank strength in the initial stages of design process is briefly presented. Based on analytical results, tank is dimensioned and FEM model is created. FEM analysis is used to identify areas with high concentration of stresses. FEM results showed that equivalent value of stress at the points of spherical tank support exceeds the values of yield stress, but this exceedance is not significant and in very small area, so overall design was deemed worthy. Experimental measurements verified FEM results that it is not necessary to reinforce the spherical tank at the points of support. After 8 months experiments were repeated giving the same results as the original measurements, thus justifying decision not to reinforce tank supports.