Free Vibrations of Cylindrical Storage Tanks: Finite-Element Analysis and Experiments

This note summarizes a theoretical and experimental study undertaken to provide a deeper understanding of the effect of different parameters on the coupled modal characteristics of circular cylindrical tanks. First, the most common case of clamped-free tanks resting on rigid foundations is investigated by using finite-element (FE) modeling and holographic experiments. A good agreement between experimental and numerical results is a basis to draw a number of conclusions. For both tank geometries investigated, the frequencies for modes of circumferential parameter n = 1 (the “beam” modes) are found to be reduced most significantly by the presence of liquid. Very significant dependence of the radial shell mode shapes on the filling ratio is confirmed both by the FE and experimental results. In addition, nonclassical vibration patterns for radial shell modes were extracted numerically and recorded experimentally. Special attention is paid to the pairs of shell modes. Second, the effects of a flexible foundation and axial compression are investigated using holographic interferometry. The modal responses of this shell–liquid system are found to be different from those of the existing theoretical models.