This project develops methods for studying the failure of anchored and unanchored liquid storage tanks subjected to seismic loads and applies these methods to prototypical and scaled structures to provide an understanding of damage mechanisms. Phenomena such as buckling, lift- off, and interaction of the structure with the contained fluid are being considered. With the use of supercomputers, understanding of the influence of these factors can be gained through simulation. The emphasis is placed on determining which phenomena are crucial to explaining damage. Efforts are also made to correlate the computer simulations with prototype data, as well as the limited shake table test data from available sources. This will help to advance the data base for liquid storage tank design and also to provide a firm basis for incorporating refinements into existing design codes.
