Buckling considerations in the design of elevated steel water tanks

Improved fabrication techniques and the availability of higher strength steels have encouraged greater use of thin-walled containment vessels in recent years. A major increase in computing capability to analyse these structures for buckling modes has also occurred and this paper considers two recently constructed steel water towers. In particular, the effect of door cut-outs on buckling capacity is examined. The analysis techniques used in the paper provide powerful tools for readily estimating buckling modes and assessing the effects of various stiffener arrangements. By far the most effective stiffening element in the stem of a water tower is a horizontal diaphragm which maintains a circular cross-section.