Abstract
The aim of the present paper is a deep experimental and numerical investigation of stress for large-scale oil tanks with a floating roof. Field stress testing of open-topped oil storage tanks with a capacity of 100,000 m3 was performed during the hydrostatic testing by resistance strain gauge technology to investigate the stress levels and distribution of tank bottom and shell. Large amounts of data in this testing that are valid and reliable by adopting various measures have been collected and the stress levels and distributions of tank shell and bottom which provide valuable material for the safety assessment of oil tank operation have been surveyed. Meanwhile, a new 3-D finite element model is developed to simulate stresses in the tank. By comparing the calculated results with the experimental data, the validity of the developed finite element model is verified. Both experimental and numerical results show that the tank bottom shows mainly the radial bending stress at the maximum liquid level. The tank shell at the base shows mainly the radial bending stress however tank shell occurs swelling deformation with the increasing of the height of gauge point, the circumferential membrane stress is the main component. The results suggest that the stress of the fillet joint is relatively high in the tank which will be helpful in improving the design of large-scale oil tanks and assessing the structural integrity.
