Behavior of Localized Bottom Depression in Aboveground Oil Storage Tanks Under Liquid Pressure

When constructing the bottom of aboveground oil storage tanks, the bottom plates are first laid out on the flat foundation, and they then are joined by welding the joints in sequence. As the foundation is difficult to be made completely homogeneous over the bottom area, the settlement of the bottom plates is not uniform under liquid pressure. The depressions of the bottom plates are sometimes found at the first internal inspection which is usually made about 10 years after the oil storage. This paper presents plane strain finite element analysis for the localized bottom depression in aboveground oil storage tanks. Load-incremental, elastic-plastic large deformation analysis is carried out considering contact with the foundation. The relationship of the stress at the depressed bottom plate to the liquid pressure is discussed together with the deformation of the depression.