Transactions on the Built Environment vol 72, © 2003 WIT Press, www.witpress.

com, ISSN 1743-3509

Effect of the foundation stiffness on the

response of a seismically isolated tank under
SSE conditions
G. Esposito & W. Courage
TNO Building and Construction Research,
Civil In@astructures, Dew, The Netherlands

Abstract
This paper presents the results of a feasibility study of a seismic isolated 120.000
m3 LNG tank. A simple model was used to evaluate the seismic response of the
isolated tank under Safe Shutdown Earthquake conditions. The frequency
dependent dynamic stifhess of the foundation was modeled by means of
Boundary Elements. Three possible construction sites were assessed. For each
site, two different foundations were considered, namely a rigid base and the full-
layered foundation model. For each foundation, modeling was carried out with
and without base isolation. The results of the study in form of base shear force,
base overturning moment, and height of the sloshing modes showed that (a) use
of fixed-base response spectra leads to the overestimation of the tank impulsive
response and underestimation of the impulsive tank response, (b) soft soil sites
may be suitable for seismic base isolation, and (c) that even if base isolation is,
in general, more effective for stiff soil conditions, site response analysis should
be always carried out.

1 Introduction
In the last decade, many tanks have been built to store Liquefied Natural Gas
(LNG). These tanks are very large and may have capacities up to 200,000 m3.
Failure of such large tanks during earthquakes represents a major hazard for
humans as well as environment. LNG tanks consist of an inner steel tank, which
contains the LNG, and an outer concrete tank encasing and protecting the inner
tank, with insulation placed between the two structures. The concrete tank is
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