Cylindrical Concrete Tank Horizontal Cracking
Cylindrical Concrete Tank Horizontal Cracking
(OP)
We have cylindrical concrete digester tank that sustained damage during Hurricane Harvey. The tank was constructed in the mid 1950s.
At this stage, we are trying to determine if it is worth pursuing a full forensic evaluation for the owner.
The tank has an inside diameter of 34.5 ft.
The overall height is 21 ft, but the tank is embedded 6 ft into the soil.
The tank sits on shallow foundations.
It is in the Houston area, so we can assume there is a high clay content in the supporting soils.
During Harvey, the tank was empty and the tank location was inundated with water.
I do not see a water line on the tank, but my understanding is the water depth was ~10ft plus outside the tank.
A large horizontal crack has appeared on one side of the tank. The crack does not go all the way around.
I'm not sure where to start looking first.......water pressure type failure? or maybe something with the ground?
1) Maybe the inundated soil expanded and contracted during the storm event?
2) Maybe the exterior vertical steel is really just temperature and shrinkage steel since it was never expected to be put in tension?
The tank walls are 12" thick so we are assuming there are 2 curtains of vertical steel.
Thoughts? I don't have a billing code yet, so I'm not sure how far we want to go down the rabbit hole.
Thanks!

At this stage, we are trying to determine if it is worth pursuing a full forensic evaluation for the owner.
The tank has an inside diameter of 34.5 ft.
The overall height is 21 ft, but the tank is embedded 6 ft into the soil.
The tank sits on shallow foundations.
It is in the Houston area, so we can assume there is a high clay content in the supporting soils.
During Harvey, the tank was empty and the tank location was inundated with water.
I do not see a water line on the tank, but my understanding is the water depth was ~10ft plus outside the tank.
A large horizontal crack has appeared on one side of the tank. The crack does not go all the way around.
I'm not sure where to start looking first.......water pressure type failure? or maybe something with the ground?
1) Maybe the inundated soil expanded and contracted during the storm event?
2) Maybe the exterior vertical steel is really just temperature and shrinkage steel since it was never expected to be put in tension?
The tank walls are 12" thick so we are assuming there are 2 curtains of vertical steel.
Thoughts? I don't have a billing code yet, so I'm not sure how far we want to go down the rabbit hole.
Thanks!







RE: Cylindrical Concrete Tank Horizontal Cracking
RE: Cylindrical Concrete Tank Horizontal Cracking
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RE: Cylindrical Concrete Tank Horizontal Cracking
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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube
RE: Cylindrical Concrete Tank Horizontal Cracking
Edit: Hmmm, 'pon further reflection cracks on the outside might make sense. I was thinking in terms of stress-reversal in a pinned-pinned scenario but it's probably more of a cantilever situation. Vertically, that is. I know there's also hoop stress.
RE: Cylindrical Concrete Tank Horizontal Cracking
RE: Cylindrical Concrete Tank Horizontal Cracking
Dik
RE: Cylindrical Concrete Tank Horizontal Cracking
I know the tank has a fixed concrete cap that is also supported by a center column.
I do not think the engineers that made a site visit were able to look inside the tank.
RE: Cylindrical Concrete Tank Horizontal Cracking
RE: Cylindrical Concrete Tank Horizontal Cracking
RE: Cylindrical Concrete Tank Horizontal Cracking
Professional Engineer (ME, NH, MA) Structural Engineer (IL)
American Concrete Industries
https://www.facebook.com/AmericanConcrete/