Effect of foundation embedment on seismic behavior of elevated tanks considering fluid–structure-soil interaction

This paper investigates the effects of foundation embedment on the seismic behavior of fluid-elevated tank-foundation–soil system with a structural frame supporting the fluid containing tank. Six different soil types defined in the well-known seismic codes were considered. Both the sloshing effects of the fluid and soil-structure interaction of the elevated tanks located on these six different soils were included in the analyses. Fluid-elevated tank-foundation–soil systems were modeled with the finite element (FE) technique. The fluid-structure interaction was taken into account using Lagrangian fluid FE approximation implemented in the general purpose structural analysis computer program, ANSYS. FE model with viscous boundary was used to include elevated tank-foundation–soil interaction effects. The models were analyzed for the foundations with and without embedment. It was found that the tank roof displacements were affected significantly by the embedment in soft soil, however, this effect was smaller for stiff soil types. Except for soft soil types, embedment did not affect the other response parameters, such as sloshing displacement, of the systems considered in this study.