Date of Graduation

5-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Civil Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Ernest Heymsfield

Committee Member

Panneer Selvam

Second Committee Member

W. Micah Hale

Keywords

Applied sciences, Finite element model, Modal analysis, Modal identification, Structural identification, Water tank, Water tower

Abstract

Elevated water tanks are generally located at higher elevations within a particular geographic area. The location and height of these structures often makes them desirable for installing wireless and cellular communications antennas. The impact of this practice on the long-term serviceability performance of the primary structure is not clear and could be an important consideration deserving further analysis. This paper presents a case study of an elevated water tank that was motivated by this particular consideration. The structure had been retrofitted with cellular antennas during its service and later experienced fatigue cracking at the fill pipe-tank interface. The owner wished to determine if the addition of the cellular antennas had contributed to this damage. This paper presents a structural identification program that was implemented to determine how wind, water level, and antenna modifications affect the water tank.

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