FINITE-INFINITE-ELEMENT MODELLING FOR SIMULATION OF SOIL-STRUCTURE-INTERACTION OF COOLING TOWERS AND TANKS

In recent years more and more nonlinear analysis are made to take into account relocation effects to

utilise the reserve capacity to the ultimate load capacity. This is especially true for large shell

constructions like cooling towers and tanks. Therefore a close-to-reality description is needed, which

considers both the typical characteristics of the individual components structure and soil and their

reciprocal effects. Computation models, which modify the structures with idealised boundary

conditions, like spare masses, springs and dampers, are usually not sufficient. More comprehensive

analysis models are necessary, considering both the geometrical and material non-linearity of the shell

and the interaction with the supporting soil as realistic as possible. In the present article a finiteinfinite-

element model will be presented which allows modelling the soil infinity and its response on

the static and dynamic response of the structure. Examples were given for calculation of a water tank

under earthquake excitation and a cooling tower founded on inhomogeneous half-space.