• Wind and Structures
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.617-633
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• 2016

In this paper, the analysis of hyperbolic cooling tower on elastic subsoil exposed to unsymmetrical wind loading is presented. Modified Vlasov foundation model is used to determine the soil parameters as a function of vertical deformation profile within subsoil. The iterative parameter updating procedure involves the use of Open Application Programming Interface (OAPI) feature of SAP2000 to provide two way data flow during execution. A computing tool coded in MATLAB employing OAPI is used to perform the analysis of hyperbolic cooling tower with supporting columns over a hollow annular raft founded on elastic subsoil. The analysis of such complex soil-structure system is investigated under self-weight and unsymmetrical wind load. The response of the cooling tower on elastic subsoil is compared with that of a tower that its supporting raft foundation is treated as fixed at the base. The results show that the effect of subsoil on the behavior of cooling tower is considerable at the top and bottom of the wall as well as supporting columns and raft foundation. The application of a full-size cooling tower has demonstrated that the procedure is simple, fast and can easily be implemented in practice.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.797-816
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• 2014

Cooling tower is analyzed as an assembly of layered nonlinear shell elements. Geometric representation of the shell is enabled through layered nonlinear shell elements to define the different layers of reinforcements and concrete by considering the material nonlinearity of each layer for the cooling tower shell. Modal analysis using Ritz vector analysis and nonlinear time history analysis by direct integration method have been carried out to study the effects of the inclination of the supporting columns of the cooling tower shell on its dynamic characteristics. The cooling tower is supported by I-type columns and ${\Lambda}$-type columns supports having the different inclination angles. Relevant comparisons of the dynamic response of the structural system at the base level (at the junction of the column and shell), throat level and at the top of the tower have been made. Dynamic response of the cooling tower is found to be significantly sensitive to the change of the inclination of the supporting columns. It is also found that the stiffness of the structure system increases with increase in inclination angle of the supporting columns, resulting in decrease of the period of the structural system. The participation of the stiffness of the tower in structural response of the cooling tower is fund to be dependent of the change in the inclination angle and even in the types of the supporting columns.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.85-94
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• 2018

The paper focuses on the seismic responses of a hyperbolic cooling tower resting on soil foundation represented by the three-parameter Vlasov elastic soil model. The three-parameter soil model eliminates the necessity of field testing to determine soil parameters such as reaction modulus and shear parameter. These parameters are calculated using an iterative procedure depending on the soil surface vertical deformation profile in the model. The soil and tower system are modeled in SAP2000 structural analysis program using a computing tool coded in MATLAB. The tool provides a two-way data transfer between SAP2000 and MATLAB with the help of Open Application Programming Interface (OAPI) feature of SAP2000. The response spectrum analyses of the tower system with circular V-shaped supporting columns and annular raft foundation on elastic soil are conducted thanks to the coded tool. The shell and column forces and displacements are presented for different soil conditions and fixed raft base condition to investigate the effects of soil-structure interaction. Numerical results indicate that the flexibility of soil foundation leads to an increase in displacements but a decrease in shell membrane and column forces. Therefore, it can be stated that the consideration of soil-structure interaction in the seismic response analysis of the cooling tower system provides an economical design process.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.67-78
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• 2016

Determining of the shape in the process of design for natural draught cooling tower is very important, because the shape of hyperbolic shell is respond sensitively to dynamic behavior of the whole cooling tower against wind load. In engineering practice, the geometric parameters have been determining based on the natural frequency. This study analyses influence of the tower shell geometric parameters on the structural behavior. For three representative models were selected, they were analyzed based on evaluation of damage by means of nonlinear FE-method. As a result, a hyperbolic rotational shell with the small radius overall was the lowest damage index induced by sufficient capacity of the stress redistribution and thus a wind-insensitive structure.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.501-506
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• 2000

An iterative numerical computational algorithm is presented to design a plate or shell element subjected to membrane and flexural forces. Based on equilibrium consideration, equations for capacities of top and bottom reinforcements in two orthogonal directions have been derived. The amount of reinforcement is determined locally, i.e., for each sampling point, from the equilibrium between applied and internal forces. Based on nonlinear analyses performed in a hyperbolic cooling tower, the analytically calculated ultimate load exceeded the design ultimate load from 50% to 55% for an analysis with relatively low to high tension stiffening, cases $\gamma$=10 and 15. For these cases, the design method gives a lower bound on the ultimate load with respect to Lower bound theorem, This shows the adequacy of th current practice at least for this cooling tower shell case studied. To generalize the conclusion more designs - analyses should be reformed with different shell configurations.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.171-190
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• 2002

Two cases of design are performed for the hyperbolic paraboloid saddle shell (Lin-Scordelis saddle shell) and the hyperbolic cooling tower (Grand Gulf cooling tower) to check the design strength against a consistent design load, therefore to verify the adequacy of the design algorithm. An iterative numerical computational algorithm is developed for combined membrane and flexural forces, which is based on equilibrium consideration for the limit state of reinforcement and cracked concrete. The design algorithm is implemented in a finite element analysis computer program developed by Mahmoud and Gupta. The amount of reinforcement is then determined at the center of each element by an elastic finite element analysis with the design ultimate load. Based on ultimate nonlinear analyses performed with designed saddle shell, the analytically calculated ultimate load exceeded the design ultimate load from 7% to 34% for analyses with various magnitude of tension stiffening. For the cooling tower problem the calculated ultimate load exceeded the design ultimate load from 26% to 63% with similar types of analyses. Since the effective tension stiffening would vary over the life of the shells due to environmental factors, a degree of uncertainty seems inevitable in calculating the actual failure load by means of numerical analysis. Even though the ultimate loads are strongly dependent on the tensile properties of concrete, the calculated ultimate loads are higher than the design ultimate loads for both design cases. For the cases designed, the design algorithm gives a lower bound on the design ultimate load with respect to the lower bound theorem. This shows the adequacy of the design algorithm developed, at least for the shells studied. The presented design algorithm for the combined membrane and flexural forces can be evolved as a general design method for reinforced concrete plates and shells through further studies involving the performance of multiple designs and the analyses of differing shell configurations.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.785-799
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• 2015

A three-dimensional (3-D) method of analysis is presented for determining the free vibration frequencies of hyperboloidal shells free at the top edge and clamped at the bottom edge like a hyperboloidal cooling tower by the Ritz method based upon the circular cylindrical coordinate system instead of related 3-D shell coordinates which are normal and tangent to the shell midsurface. The Legendre polynomials are used as admissible displacements. Convergence to four-digit exactitude is demonstrated. Natural frequencies from the present 3-D analysis are also compared with those of straight beams with circular cross section, complete (not truncated) conical shells, and circular cylindrical shells as special cases of hyperboloidal shells from the classical beam theory, 2-D thin shell theory, and other 3-D methods.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.97-104
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• 2012

In the design procedure of the cooling tower the form-finding of the shell is the most important process, because the shape of the shell determines the sensitivity of dynamic behaviour of the whole tower against wind excitation. In engineering practice, geometric parameters of the shell are generally determined based on natural frequency analysis. 32 cooling tower shell geometries were selected through variation of the geometric parameters of an existing cooling tower shell. They were evaluated based on the first natural frequency. From the result three representative cooling towers are selected for the analysis of the structural behaviour by means of linear FE-method. As a result, a hyperbolic rotational shell with the small radius overall will yield the shell geometry with a higher first natural frequency and thus a wind-insensitive structure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.217-224
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• 1999

A semi-stochastic process model of reliability was established for hyperbolic cooling towers subjected to combined loadings of wind force, self-weight, temperature loading. Effect of the soil-structure interaction on reliability was evaluated. By involving the gust factor, an equivalent static scheme was employed to convert the dynamic model to static model. The TR combination rule was used to consider relations between load responses. An analysis example was made on the 90M cooling tower of Maoming, Guangdong of China. Numerical results show that the design not including interaction turns to be conservative.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2017

The result of the previous work leads to the idea that the inner area of the hyperbolic shell generator should be minimized for the cooling tower with higher first natural frequency. In this study the inner area of the hyperbolic shell generator was graphically established under varying height of the throat and angle of the base lintel. From the graph, several shell geometries were selected and analysed in the aspect of the natural frequency. Three representative towers reinforced differently due to different first natural frequencies were analysed non-linearly and evaluated using a damage indicator based on the change of natural frequencies. The results demonstrated that the damage behaviour of the tower reinforced higher due to a lower first natural frequency was not necessarily advantageous than the others.