Verification of the cylindrical tank shell stability using the stress design and the MNA-LBA procedure

The article presents the course and results of the procedure for verifying the stability of the cylindrical shell of an oil tank with a floating roof, under wind load. Two dimensioning methods recommended by standard PN-EN 1993-1-6 were used, i.e. dimensioning based on the stress state and the MNA-LBA procedure. The method of determining the critical buckling resistance ratio from the linear bifurcation analysis (LBA) and the plastic reference resistance ratio from the physically nonlinear analysis (MNA) has been presented. Comparison of the results obtained with the use of the indicated design methods revealed significant discrepancies in the stress intensity levels of the analysed shell. When using the stress-based dimensioning method, it was shown that the buckling strength was exceeded by 33%, while the results of the MNA-LBA procedure indicated a 33% reserve of the capacity of the analysed system.