Section 1.

lntroduction

While a cylindrical shape may be structurally best for tank construction,

rectangular tanks frequently are preferred for specific purposes. Special processes
or operations may make circular tanks inconvenient to use. Wlien several separate
cells are required, rectangular tanks can be arranged in less space than circular
tanks of the same capacity. Tanks or vats needed inside a building are therefore
often made in rectangular or sqiiare shapes. For these and other reasons. breweries.
tanneries. and paper mills generally use rectangular tanks. Data presented here are
for design of rectangular tanks

wliere the walls are subject to hydrostatic pressure of zero at tlie top and maxjmum
at the bottom Some of the data rnay be used for design of coiinterforted retaining
walls subject to eartli pressure for wliich a hydrostatic type of loading may be
substituted in the design calcrrlations. Data also may be applied to design of
circular reservoirs of large diameter where lateral stability depends on the action of
counterforts built integrally with the wall. Another article on tank construction.
"Circular Concrete

Tanks Without Prestressing," has been published by Portland Cement Association.

Secrion 2. Moment Coefficients

Moinent coefficients wcre calciilated for individual panels considered fied along
vertical edpes, and coefficients were subsequently adjristed to allow for a certain
rotation about tlie vertical edges. First. three sets of edge conditions were
iiivestigated, in al1 of which vertical edges were assumed fied wliile the ot tier
edges were as follows:

1. Top hinged- bottom hinged

2. Top free--bottom Hinged

3. Top free-bottom fixed*

Moment coefficients for tliese edge conditions are given in Tables 1, 11, and 111
resptctively. In al1 tahles. a denotes height and b width of the wall. In Taldes 1, 11,
and 111. coefficients are given for nine ra~ios of b/a, the liinits being b/a = 3.0 and
0.5. Tlie origin of tlie cooidinate system is at midpoinl of the tup edge; tlie Y axis
is Iiorizontal; the X axis is vertical and its psitive direction downwaid. Coefficients
are given-except where they are known to be zero at edges, quarter points, and
midpoints both in X and Y directions.

The slab was assumed to act as a thin plate,. for which equations are available in
text book such as theory of plate and shells by S. Timoshenko, but since only a
small portion of the necessary calculation for moment Coeff for specific cases is
available in the engineering literature, they have been made especially for this
article.

Table IV contain moment Coeff for uniform load on a rectangular plate considered
hinged on all four sides. The table is for use in designing cover slab and bottom
slab for rectangular tank with one cell. If cover slab is made continuous over
intermediate supports, the design may be made in accordance with procedure for
the design of slab supported on four sides.

Coefficient for individual panels with fixed side edge apply without modification
to continuous Wall provided there is no rotation about vertical edges. In square
tank therefore, moment Coeff may be taken directly from Table I, II or III. in a
rectangular tank, however an adjustment must be made, as was done in table V &
VI similar to the modification of fixed-end moments in a frame analyzed by
moment distribution.

In this procedure the conirnon-side edge of two adjacent panels is first considered
artificially restrairied so that no rotation can take place about the edge.. Fixed edge
moments taken from Tables 1, 11. or 111 are usiially dissimulate in adjacent panels
and the differences, wliich correspond to unbalanced moments, tend to rotate the
edge.. when the artificial restraint is removed they will induce additional moments
in the panels. Adding induced and fixed end moinents at the edge gives final end
moments, which must be identical on either sides of the common edges.

Moment distribution can't be applied as simply to the case of continuous tank walls
as it can be to framed Structures because moment must be distributed
simultaneously along the entire length of the side edge so that moment become
equal at both sides at any point of the edge..

The portion was simplified and approximated to some extent by distributing

moments at five points,

Section 4: Open top single Cell Tank

The tank in Fig 3 has a clear length of a=16ft, horizontal inside dimensions of
b=40ft and c=20ft. The top the wall is free and bottom hinged. Design the tank for
a fluid weight of 62.5lb/ft3.

Coefficients for moment and shear are selected from table or diagram for b/a=2.5
and c/a=1.25. moments are in kips if coefficients are multiplied by
wa^3/1000=62.5*16^3/1000=256, and shear are in kips if coefficients are
multiplied by wa^2/2000=62.5*16^2/1000=16,000.

Moment coefficients taken from Tables V for b/a=2.5 & c/a=1.25 for x=a (bottom
edge), being equal to zero is omitted.

Table V or Table 5 IS 3370 Moment Coefficient for b/a=2.5 & c/a=1.25

x/a y=0 y=b/4 y=b/2 z=c/4

mx my mx my mx my mx my

0 0 0.069 0.0 0.035 0 -0.092 0 -0.030

3/4 0.026 0.059 0.015 0.034 -0.018 -0.089 0.006 -0.024

1/2 0.045 0.048 0.031 0.031 -0.016 -0.082 0.003 -0.012

3/2 0.044 0.029 0.034 0.020 -0.012 -0.059 0.011 -0.002

The largest moments occur in horizontal direction at top of corner common to both
walls and equal to -0.092*256=-23.6 ft kips the negative sign simply indicate that
tension is on the inside and need not be considered in subsequent calculation.
Effective depth d may be selected from table 2 in reinforced concrete design
handbook of ACI for fs,n,fc'=20000/9.2/1350 & M = 23.6, select minimum
d=10.25in.

fro fig 2 for b/a 2.5, maximum shear at vertical edge is

V=0.41wa2=0.41*16,000=6,560lb/ft and at bottom edge fro table VIII,
V=0.42*16,000=6,720lb/ft with allowable shearing stress of
v=0.02f'c=0.02*3,000=60psi, minimum effective depth is

d=V/(7/8*v*b)=6720/(7/8*60*12)=10.7in

Therefore shear governs wall thickness in this example use d= 12in and total
thickness 14in to reduce the amount of reinforcement and prevent very close
spacing of bars.

Disregarding axial tension in the wall, maximum steel area extending horizontally
around center is

As=M/ad=23.6/(1.44*12)=1.37sq.in

Steel area must be increased to take care of axial tension due to shear in the long
Wall, which at the top as in Fig 2 is 0.13wa2=0.13*16=2.08kips per linear foot,
being tension this axial force will be given a negative sign in accordance with
procedure in example 8 of the handbook

The eccentricity about the tensile steel is

e=12M/N+d"=12*23.6/-2.08+(12-2/2)=-131.2in

E=e/12=-131.2/12=-10.93ft

From table 1 (handbook) for 20,000/9.2/1350, select k=226, from table 4

(handbook);for b*d=12*12, select F=0..144 then

KF=226*0.144=32.5

NE=-2.08*-10.93=22.7

Since KF>NE, no compressive steel is required. Compressive concrete stress is

obviously smaller than allowed if desirable it may be computed as follows with
k=NE/F=158 enter table 1 (handbook) in the group for fs=20,000, n =9.2 which
gives fc' =1075psi, allowable stress is 0

.45f'c=0.45*3000=1350psi simultaneously, select k =0.89 and compute

I=e/(e-jd)=-131.2/(-131.2-0.89*12)=0.93

As=NE/(adi)=22.7/(1.44*12*0.93)=1.41sqin

For allowable bond stress of u=0.05f'c=150psi required br perimeter is

£o=V/(7/8*u*d)=2080/(7/8*150*12)=1.3in

Section 5. Closed Top Single Cell Tank